100719 The pendulum Rotator cuff exercise
The four rotator cuff muscles are part of a complex group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint. These four muscles include the Supraspinatus muscle, the Infraspinatus muscle, Teres minor muscle, and the Subscapularis muscle, sometimes referred to as the SITS muscles, for obvious reasons.
Since the shoulder is not a true joint, the interactions between the tissues in this area are critical to a healthy shoulder.
The pendulum is a gentle, relaxing exercise for your Rotator cuff muscles. It will help increase your flexibility, and range of motion while at the same time may also lower the pain level in the affected shoulder.
The way to do this is relatively simple, but sometimes harder to do until you get the feel for the movement.
As shown in the video, you can see where I am resting my right hand…on my right knee. This provides support for my lower back. If you are in physical therapy setting, they may have you lying prone on a table with your affected arm hanging over the side.
Once in position, either standing or laying, slowly begin moving your entire body to set up the movement in your arm. You should not be actively moving the muscles in your hanging arm; let your body do this by gently swaying in a manner that also moves your arm in a straight line forward and backward, You can also maneuver in such a manner as to make your arm move in all the directions of the compass.
Just as a side note, I am holding onto a 5 pound dumbbell in the video. It is sometimes better to use the strap on Velcro type weights rather than a hand held one. I prefer the dumbbell.
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