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Rotator Cuff Strains are the most common injury of the shoulder and the #1 injury we treat at
Strength & Spine Chiropractic. Overhead athletes are disproportionately affected by this and
utilizing our combined approach of physiotherapy and conservative care has had tremendous
results in helping athletes recover and manage this injury.
One of the most important things that I want to emphasize is how not only the rotator cuff
muscles work together but also how we should be looking at this injury differently than how we
did 10-20 years ago. Four muscles dynamically work together to stabilize the shoulder joint,
including the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. The supraspinatus
muscle is responsible for elevating your shoulder and while the supraspinatus tendon is the
most commonly torn, this is not in isolation. It is the victim and not the villain in many cases. The
villains are the infraspinatus and teres minor musculature which are responsible for externally
rotating the shoulder but more importantly, they help depress the humeral bone. This is crucial
because if the latter are not doing their job, the humeral bone stays elevated and the
supraspinatus tendon will sheer and repetitively strain causing excessive force and injury.
In our offices, we have utilized therapies like Shockwave Therapy or Winback Tecar therapy as
well to decrease pain, allow the tendons to heal more efficiently, and allow for a better injury
recovery program. Together with our other manual therapy and rehabilitation techniques, this
has given us great confidence in treating and managing shoulder symptoms and functionality.
If we are evaluating the injury as a whole there as some other factors that we take into
consideration like your sport-specific overhead movements (baseball, volleyball, tennis, etc),
limited thoracic movement, lack of normal range of motion, or decrease of shoulder stability. You
(Yes, you reading this) are a unique and dynamic human being so you require a unique solution.
Check out these easy and effective exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles!
Are you in Tampa or St. Pete and looking for guidance with your shoulder pain and want to see how we can help?
Contact us at 727-228-3030 or schedule an appointment at strengthchiro.com
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