Rotator Cuff Protocol

Injuries affecting the rotator cuff can be frustrating and leave you feeling unable to do anything.
To get yourself back to 100%, it's important to follow a proper protocol.

Step 1 - avoid movements that may cause further injury. Overhead movements or side raises can cause pressure and pinching at the injury site. This causes pain, but can also cause further injury and at the very least will hamper recovery.

Step 2 - mobilize around the injury site. Most likely, your muscles and joints will be very tight. While important initially after injury for stabilizing the affected area, after a certain amount of time that tightness will decrease your range of motion, hamper recovery, and cause further pain.

Step 3 - strengthen. Pre-injury, odds are you had some sort of weakness at or near the area. This is definitely true post-injury. Doing exercises (like external rotations or front raises) will strengthen the area surrounding the injury site. This will help by decreasing your reliance on the injury site to do work. Decreased reliance means that you will have less pain, get back to full strength + range of motion, and prevent future injuries to the area.