Exercise suggestions for rotator cuff re-hab?

[cnl390]

Played my last round for quite some time the day before Thanksgiving.  Having rotator cuff surgery on December 18th and from what I have read I won't be playing for 6-8 months.  Does anyone have any suggestions on exercises I can do when it is time to "get back into the swing of things"?  I will be going to a lot of PT, but the therapist might not be a golfer.

Thanks

 

[mvmac]

I don't have any experience with rotator cuff injuries but I assume some kind of band work would be beneficial.

 

[SavvySwede]

Thrower's ten covers just about everything

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/pdf/main/athletics/athletic_training/throwers10.pdf

[boogielicious]

17 hours ago, cnl390 said:

Played my last round for quite some time the day before Thanksgiving.  Having rotator cuff surgery on December 18th and from what I have read I won't be playing for 6-8 months.  Does anyone have any suggestions on exercises I can do when it is time to "get back into the swing of things"?  I will be going to a lot of PT, but the therapist might not be a golfer.

Thanks

 

I've had the surgery and still do the exercises 4 years on now. The exercises shown above are the correct rotator cuff exercises. There are others as well like tiny arm circles with light weight. There are stretches too.

BUT please listen to your doctor and physical therapist. You have to be shown how to do them correctly. Posture is very important when doing them. You must keep doing to them per the schedule as well. They will start off with very light resistant. You don't need more resistance, which is common mistake. We think in sports terms of more weight/resistance is better, but it doesn't apply to RT therapy as much. The exercises are to repair and stabilize the area, not necessarily to build strength. The strength will come once the area is stable again.

I will also take time to get your range of motion back, so be patient. Keep doing the stretches everyday.

Again, I had the surgery 4 1/2 years ago and I still do the exercises religiously. I made them part of my workout routine.

Good luck with your surgery.

[chspeed]

On 12/5/2015 at 9:11 AM, boogielicious said:

BUT please listen to your doctor and physical therapist. You have to be shown how to do them correctly.

I will also take time to get your range of motion back, so be patient. Keep doing the stretches everyday.

Again, I had the surgery 4 1/2 years ago and I still do the exercises religiously. I made them part of my workout routine.

Good luck with your surgery.

I too had rotator cuff surgery three years ago (mine was open, not arthroscopic, because it also involved removing an extra piece of bone that shouldn't have been there).

I second @boogielicious There is a temptation to do more than your PT tells you, but that is detrimental to getting better. PTs know the balance between healing and rebuilding better than your body does. The old adage of "listen to your body" doesn't always apply.

I would suggest finding a PT that specializes in shoulder, or at least does many of them.

My surgery was at the beginning of September and I was putting by Christmas, taking half-swings in February, and playing in March. But I only started these things when my doctor and PT agreed.

Good luck!

 

[rehmwa]

here's another thread - http://thesandtrap.com/forums/topic/84822-rotator-cuff-question/#comment-1135817

In it, I recommend a great book that's still applicable for Rotator Cuff maintenance and strengthening.  It's findable now on line as the copyright has expired

 

BUT - you are post surgery - find a Physical Therapist you trust and do what they tell you.  The Cuff is a tricky joint and the exercises really do need to be done correctly to avoid impingement, tendonitis, and further injury.