Rotator Cuff Injuries
Posted: Dec 15 2010 Topic:
Firstly, what is the rotator cuff? The rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles that support the shoulder. The shoulder is a very unstable joint and relies on the rotator cuff to provide forces compressing the arm bone into the scapula (shoulder blade) for stability.
Another function of rotator cuff muscles is to position the upper arm correctly when raising the arm up so that the arm does not butt up against the acromion (the bone to which the collar bone attaches) and damage sensitive structures.
The rotator cuff is often injured or strained. There are a couple of reasons for this. The muscles are small so it is not difficult to overtax them. They are supporting a very unstable joint so if there is any trauma to the shoulder they are susceptible to injury.
The most common rotator cuff injuries are not due to trauma but to repetitive strain. Often this injury progresses without symptoms.
Chiropractic care plays an important role in preventing this injury. All of the muscles in your body rely on nerve supply from the spinal chord. Muscles are activated by impulses from the nerves that cause the muscles to contract. Without this nerve supply the muscles would be completely flaccid and paralyzed.
When your spine is misaligned the nerve supply to your muscles may be compromised and the rotator cuff muscles may be put in a position of mechanical disadvantage. If the rotator cuff muscles are not firing properly then the shoulder will lose stability and the upper arm may butt up against the supraspinatus tendon causing degeneration and eventual failure. Chiropractic care ensures that your nervous system is functioning without interference. This way the muscles will be able to fire with full power and perform the complicated actions that are required for good shoulder function. I believe that most rotator cuff injuries would be avoided if people did a combination of preventative chiropractic adjustments and postural exercises.
If you are in the unfortunate position of having a rotator cuff injury chiropractic care is essential. All rotator cuff injuries involve misalignments of the cervical and upper thoracic areas of the spine. In some cases the misalignments may have caused the shoulder injury and in other cases the misalignments are a result of the stress on the body caused by the shoulder injury. In any case proper healing is impossible without the adequate nerve supply.