During my time as an exercise professional, I’ve encountered many people who were rehabbing joint problems and/or were considering doing so. And based on what they tell me they think they should do, or what they’ve been told to do, etc, I’ve encountered some really bad information.
The misinformation is usually due to vast oversimplifications of human movement that although well intentioned, don’t tell the whole story and therefore are unlikely to illicit the results that are sought.
We’ll use the shoulder for discussion’s sake. The shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff, is a highly complex area that’s very susceptible to dysfunction. Many people have had shoulder issues that have lead to the physical therapists’ office, health magazines and/or websites, or solicitations of advice from friends or colleagues who have had shoulder problems.
More often than not, the simplistic view is to simply look at how the rotator cuff moves and then train it to do that movement. We know the rotator cuff can externally rotate your shoulder (turn it back in non-biomechanical nomenclature). Following this logic, the patient is usually told to do some version of the internal/external rotation with the elbow pinned to the ribcage while holding a rubber tube in the hand.
The misinformation is usually due to vast oversimplifications of human movement that although well intentioned, don’t tell the whole story and therefore are unlikely to illicit the results that are sought.
We’ll use the shoulder for discussion’s sake. The shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff, is a highly complex area that’s very susceptible to dysfunction. Many people have had shoulder issues that have lead to the physical therapists’ office, health magazines and/or websites, or solicitations of advice from friends or colleagues who have had shoulder problems.
More often than not, the simplistic view is to simply look at how the rotator cuff moves and then train it to do that movement. We know the rotator cuff can externally rotate your shoulder (turn it back in non-biomechanical nomenclature). Following this logic, the patient is usually told to do some version of the internal/external rotation with the elbow pinned to the ribcage while holding a rubber tube in the hand.
Cute smile. Stupid exercise.
This is what the rotator cuff does right? It externally rotates the shoulder, right? So by adding some resistance like a band and turning my arm in and out, I’m strengthening my rotator cuff, correct?
Not really. Stay with me…
The rotator cuff CAN turn the shoulder out, but that’s not really what its job is. It’s really supposed to hold the shoulder in its socket during use. When you reach, grab, push, pull, lift, etc. your rotator cuff is supposed to squeeze the hell out of the top of your arm to hold it in place so the bigger muscles in the arm, chest and back can do the lifting.
The best analogy to use is to compare it to the wheels on your car. Imagine you had a problem with one of the wheels on your car. You take it to a mechanic, and the mechanic does whatever mechanics do to fix the wheel. He then puts the car on a lift and lifts it in the air and spins the tires. He then says to you: “Your wheels are fixed. They spin fine.”
Your response would be, “I can see they spin, but THAT’S NOT REALLY WHAT THEY DO. I need them to support the cars weight on the ground, I need them to stop, start, turn, go over bumps, etc.” Only when the mechanic showed you the wheel worked under those conditions would you trust his diagnosis.
Same thing goes with your shoulder, or any joint for that matter. Grabbing a tube and moving your hand back and forth to fix your shoulder is like putting your car on a lift and spinning the tires. Yes, your shoulder CAN do that, but that’s not how you’re going to use it. (Skeptical? If you ever do that motion with the tubing in real life let me know.) Therefore rehabbing it in a way that it will rarely if ever be used is ineffectual at best.
Using it in the manner it’s supposed to be used in a total body training sense is the only way to rehab it efficiently. Grab things, lift things, move things using functionally efficient total body mechanics.
This is what the rotator cuff does right? It externally rotates the shoulder, right? So by adding some resistance like a band and turning my arm in and out, I’m strengthening my rotator cuff, correct?
Not really. Stay with me…
The rotator cuff CAN turn the shoulder out, but that’s not really what its job is. It’s really supposed to hold the shoulder in its socket during use. When you reach, grab, push, pull, lift, etc. your rotator cuff is supposed to squeeze the hell out of the top of your arm to hold it in place so the bigger muscles in the arm, chest and back can do the lifting.
The best analogy to use is to compare it to the wheels on your car. Imagine you had a problem with one of the wheels on your car. You take it to a mechanic, and the mechanic does whatever mechanics do to fix the wheel. He then puts the car on a lift and lifts it in the air and spins the tires. He then says to you: “Your wheels are fixed. They spin fine.”
Your response would be, “I can see they spin, but THAT’S NOT REALLY WHAT THEY DO. I need them to support the cars weight on the ground, I need them to stop, start, turn, go over bumps, etc.” Only when the mechanic showed you the wheel worked under those conditions would you trust his diagnosis.
Same thing goes with your shoulder, or any joint for that matter. Grabbing a tube and moving your hand back and forth to fix your shoulder is like putting your car on a lift and spinning the tires. Yes, your shoulder CAN do that, but that’s not how you’re going to use it. (Skeptical? If you ever do that motion with the tubing in real life let me know.) Therefore rehabbing it in a way that it will rarely if ever be used is ineffectual at best.
Using it in the manner it’s supposed to be used in a total body training sense is the only way to rehab it efficiently. Grab things, lift things, move things using functionally efficient total body mechanics.
