How to Cope with Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

Rotator cuff tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons of the rotator cuff. It can be caused by overuse, repeated impingement and shoulder joint instability where the muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff are called upon to stabilize the shoulder joint over and above the call of duty due to loose or weak ligaments.

People who regularly participate in certain sports are more at risk of rotator cuff injury than others. Swimmers, pitchers (or others who engage in sports involving a lot of throwing) and weight trainers/bodybuilders are particularly at risk.

Whatever the cause of rotator cuff tendonitis it can be a very unpleasant and restrictive injury giving pain with various everyday arm or shoulder movements (particularly overhead movements) and even while sleeping if you happen to sleep on the injured side. It causes weakness in the affected shoulder and can take a long time to heal and at worst it may become chronic.

There are a number of treatments available from physiotherapy to anti-inflammatory medications and cortisone injections and in very extreme cases surgery.

As with most soft tissue injuries there is no "magic pill" to fix the injury. While there are a number of things that can help, unless the injury is extreme the best thing you can do is give your body every possible chance to utilize its amazing capacity to heal itself. You can do this in a number of ways including: applying cold/heat to reduce the pain and speed healing, avoiding certain movements and activities until the injury is healed, exercising to strengthen the muscles and gentle stretching to keep the muscles and joint mobile.

We'll look at this in more detail later. In the mean time to find out more about how to dealing with an injured rotator cuff make sure you visit the rotator cuff injury blog:

rotator cuff injury