Ever since I was involved in a bike crash a few years ago and
sprained my right AC joint I’ve been prone to more aches and pains along the
front of the shoulder. It probably
doesn’t help that I ask more of my shoulders than most given the amount of
manual therapy I do with patients. I
admit it – I’m no different than most of my patient’s when it comes to rehab
exercises . . . I don’t like doing
them. I particularly despise the basic
ER/IR exercises for the rotator cuff, but the fact of the matter is it helps.
Frankly,
I’m tired of listening to myself complain and I’m looking forward to plenty of
cross country skiing this fall so I decided to take a bit of my own advice and
do something about it.
Below
is a modified exercise to improve the strength/endurance of the ER (external
rotators) of the rotator cuff in a more functional position that will also tie
in the hips and core (key areas for also for XC skiing and many other
sports). The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that
cover both the front and back of the shoulder blade (aka: scapula). These muscles are very intimate with the
shoulder joint acting as a “cuff” to stabilize the ball and socket joint
throughout its 180° range of motion.
Weakness in the rotator cuff may result from old injuries, repetitive
use, over-head throwing, typing (elbow unsupported), etc. Keeping
the rotator cuff muscles in peak condition is one of the best things you can do
to improve athletic performance and prevent shoulder and neck injuries.
I
adopted a modified side-bridge position to help you (and myself) get the most
bang out of your buck. The purpose of
this position is to facilitate neuromuscular control and stability in a
controlled environment that easily carries over to an athletic position.
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