Always stretch your rotator cuff to keep your shoulders healthy
Most of the shoulder injuries happen because of the excessive forces that tennis creates on the tendons of the shoulder muscles. If the shoulder muscles are weak or tight or if there are imbalances, the motion in the shoulder doesn’t happen correctly and the constant repetitive forces of tennis strokes will create problems and injuries over time.
In the past article you have learned how to strengthen the notoriously weak external rotator cuff. Besides strengthening you should always stretch the shoulder muscles – give a lot of attention to your rotator cuff! And include a little chest stretch too.
Chest stretch is very simple and almost everybody is familiar with it: stand sideways by the wall, tree or a fence, raise your arm parallel with the ground, hold on the fence and turn your body slowly away until you feel stretch in your chest. You can change the height of your hand for different feel in all areas of the chest.
On the other hand, only a few tennis players are familiar with this simple, yet great rotator cuff stretch. It is easy to do after your tennis practice as you can lie down, rest and reflect on your game while you are stretching.
Rotator Cuff Stretch
Lie down on the ground on your left side. Stretch your left arm forward 90 degrees from your body and bend it in the elbow with the forearm vertical to the ground. Now grab your left wrist with your right hand and start gently pushing on it toward the ground. Maintain 90 degrees in your elbow, which means that your forearm should be parallel with your body. Continue applying pressure, breathe deeply and keep your left shoulder on the ground. You will feel a nice stretch in your rotator cuff. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds, and switch the side. You will notice that your dominant arm is most probably much tighter. Give it more attention, until they both will become even.
Remember that stretching is one of the most neglected techniques for improving performance and avoiding injuries. Don’t underestimate the power of stretching! Include it to your tennis fitness regimen on a daily basis and watch your tennis fitness and your game improving rapidly.
..................... For more info: ex Ms Natural Olympia Suzanna McGee is an experienced athletic trainer, competitive tennis player and a freelance writer. She lives in Venice Beach, CA and online at www.sixftlion.com
Comments
Thank you for posting this! I was in physical therapy for 6 weeks for a rotator cuff injury (diagnosed as tendinitis) and kept asking my PT about a stretch for the rotator cuff. He only mentioned the chest stretch. I just tried this and relief was incredible!
This is a very important topic for the tennis player. But, this stretch does not focus on the the rotator cuff but the posterior shoulder capsule which is deep to the rotator cuff. It needs to be performed every day by anyone who is a serious tennis player.
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