The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body with six degrees of freedom and near 360° motion capability. The limited bony architecture of the shoulder joint requires stability from the joint capsule and 17 muscles that attach to the scapula and humerous. For this reason, the shoulder is highly susceptible to injury for athletes, weekend warriors and working individuals alike.
Athletes most commonly sustain injuries from overuse, trauma or inadequate conditioning. One or a combination of these three variables can lead to inflammation of the rotator cuff, biceps tendon or injury to the labrum and/or joint capsule. Working individuals experience shoulder pain for an entirely different reason. Repetitive motion, in combination with poor postural habits creates, significant stress on the neck and shoulder potentially leading to rotator cuff inflammation/tears, adhesive capsulitis and biceps tendonitis.
The Cuff Performance program features 12 exercises used frequently in physical therapy clinics and athletic training rooms. Ideally, these exercises are used preventatively before and injury occurs. In the event of an injury or surgery, Cuff Performance is a highly effective rehabilitation tool/program for the home that will improve exercise compliance and outcomes with regular use. *Please consult with a physician, physical therapist or athletic trainer to determine which exercises are most appropriate for your diagnosis.
The following study published in the Physical Therapy Journal highlights improvements in shoulder function and decreased shoulder pain following a well designed four week strengthening and flexibility program geared to increase strength, endurance and flexibility of the rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers.
A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of a Treatment for Shoulder Pain
Karen A Ginn, Robert D Herbert, Wendy Khouw and Rebecca Lee
Background and Purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a physical therapy approach to the treatment of shoulder pain.
Subjects. Sixty-six volunteers with shoulder pain believed to be of local mechanical origin were randomly allocated to either a treatment group or a control group.
Methods. Subjects in the treatment group received 1 month of physical therapy aimed at restoring function of their shoulder muscles. Subjects in the control group received no treatment. Outcome measurements of pain intensity, range of motion (ROM), isometric muscle force, functional impairment, and self-perception of improvement were obtained by blinded assessment.
Results. Subjects in the treatment group showed improvement in pain-free abduction and flexion ROM, functional impairment, and self-perception of improvement. The control group deteriorated slightly over the experimental period in ROM and functional impairment measures.
Conclusion and Discussion. These results suggest that the physical therapy approach used in this study is effective in improving shoulder function in subjects experiencing pain of mechanical origin. The results also provide little evidence of spontaneous recovery over a 1-month period.