Shoulder pain and rotator cuff tears can heal without surgery. But knowing which shoulder exercises will help and which can cause more pain is critical. This video shows you which shoulder exercises to begin with first.

There are four rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis). These shoulder muscles are important to stabilizing the shoulder joint. The supraspinatus muscle can get impinged and have tendon tears which can be very painful.

Many times the rotator cuff muscles become weakened and put the shoulder joint and the supraspinatus tendon at risk of pain and pathology. In this video we go over the anatomy of the rotator cuff, how it becomes injured, and give you 3 exercises to start strengthening.

The first thing to do when starting a rotator cuff rehabilitation exercise program is to make sure you are not creating further irritation and inflammation to the shoulder. Tissues that can be inflamed in the shoulder include the shoulder tendons, subacromial bursa, the joint capsule, cartilage, and nearby shoulder muscles.

Some other conditions that can mimic a rotator cuff tear and cause shoulder pain are biceps tendonitis (aka bicipital tendonosis), anterior shoulder impingement syndrome, and SLAP lesion. Working to strengthen the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder and scapulothoracic joint can be helpful for shoulder pain and help reduce inflammation.

The exercises and concepts in this video, were learned from Dr. Dale Buchberger through his Buchberger12 manual and video (available on iTunes and Kindle) and seminars I attended. These are the first three rotator cuff exercises to try if you are having shoulder pain.

Dr. Buchberger's books and video show a thorough and effective twelve exercise program designed to strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blade stabilizing muscles. You can check out his website and products at www.shouldermadesimple.com.

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