anyone here know the recovery time for rotator cuff impegement?

[Jelet]

shoulder is finally feeling better but i havent been in the gym to test it out because of a herniated disc. but i did more search online and it looks like i had the symptoms of a RC impingement. but just curious what the recovery time for RC impingement is if anyone had it.

its been like 7 months for me but i was cutting for more than half that time so i probably made the recovery time slower.


shoulder feels 90% better. only aches if i lay on the shoulder ball. or if i press on the wall really really hard. to the side of me... i can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. id say in like 2-3 more months ill be ready.(IV COME THIS FAR, ILL HATE TO REINJURY IT AND GO BACK TO DAY 1 ) but just curious what the average RC impingement time is

[Daniel0636]

shoulder is finally feeling better but i havent been in the gym to test it out because of a herniated disc. but i did more search online and it looks like i had the symptoms of a RC impingement. but just curious what the recovery time for RC impingement is if anyone had it.

its been like 7 months for me but i was cutting for more than half that time so i probably made the recovery time slower.


shoulder feels 90% better. only aches if i lay on the shoulder ball. or if i press on the wall really really hard. to the side of me... i can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. id say in like 2-3 more months ill be ready.(IV COME THIS FAR, ILL HATE TO REINJURY IT AND GO BACK TO DAY 1 ) but just curious what the average RC impingement time is

Mine took 10 months to heal up but it would have healed up in half that time if I had have got physio sooner. Once I got physio after 5 months I was back in the gym. Before you start back at the gym I would say you should have worked your way up to around 4-8 pounds/2-4kg with rotator cuff exercises (external and internal rotations 3 sets of about 10 or more reps) and once you can do that you can move to pushups ups and then some light side/front and rear delt raises and once you feel comfortable with them then I would get back to the gym and just start off light and work your way up. I've been back at the gym for 3 months now since my rotator cuff injury and I don't really get any problems any more. If you get any sharp pains while doing any exercises then just try going lighter or failing that find an alternate exercise it's not worth injuring yourself again/more.

[kyoun1e]

I'm currently suffering from left shoulder impingement which has caused some bicep tendonitis at the same time. Here's an idea of my timeline and what I expect:

* Oct 1 2012 -- Realized I had a problem. Shut down all overhead pressing and horizontal pushing.
* Oct 1 -- Nov 1 -- Attempted to rehab myself. Bad idea. All it did was irritate the situation.
* Nov 1 -- Dec 1 -- Ditched my own rehab and worked with a phsical therapist on stretching only to calm the situation down. Helped quite a bit but didn't solve the problem completely.
* Dec 1 -- Dec 31 -- Started rehab work again.
* Dec 31 -- had a cortizone injection in the bicep tendon
* Jan 1 -- Current -- Cortizone injection wiped out 90% of inflammation. Been slowly increasing rehab steadily since. Things are much improved.

I'm guessing I have at least one full month of rehab to go.

KY

[MrCompulsiveX]

shoulder is finally feeling better but i havent been in the gym to test it out because of a herniated disc. but i did more search online and it looks like i had the symptoms of a RC impingement. but just curious what the recovery time for RC impingement is if anyone had it.

its been like 7 months for me but i was cutting for more than half that time so i probably made the recovery time slower.


shoulder feels 90% better. only aches if i lay on the shoulder ball. or if i press on the wall really really hard. to the side of me... i can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. id say in like 2-3 more months ill be ready.(IV COME THIS FAR, ILL HATE TO REINJURY IT AND GO BACK TO DAY 1 ) but just curious what the average RC impingement time is

Jelet your situation and RC Impingement is really really individual. I was working with a college baseball player a couple years ago who was dealing with it for like a year before it got so bad he needed treatment. He actually just thought it was part of playing baseball. Long story short it took months of treatment and ultimately the end of the season(for him to rest) to eliminate it.

In his case he was a starter so we had to do everything we could to limit his activities that bothered it(throwing) but allow him to play when he could(so pinch hitting/running only to start). The thing is patience, patience, patience, which it seems like you have.

Once you are through everything, its important to be slow about increasing your workout volume, taking twice the time if needed to move up in weight or total rep number because remember, pain is the first thing to go away, the last to show up often times. So people aren't even aware they are dealing with inflammation and this sets them back and can re-insult the area pushing their full return back. When you go back, I would avoid Upright rows and laterals for a while, focus on some back(hopefully you enjoy this) and then test some exercises(ONE AT A TIME) to make sure you aren't paying for it the next day. If you are sore the next remove one and see what happens next time. If you throw a bunch of stuff at it, there is no way to tell what did the irritating - make sense?

Its important that you continue doing what you are doing, as well as making sure you are gently maintaining your ROM of the shoulder. At this point you could be doing isometric rotator cuff exercises(in a door frame). So following something like warm heat(or after a shower), some ROM movements, light isometrics, ice assuming this is all pain free. It should help at this point so you aren't going stir crazy.

[kyoun1e]

Good advice.

Exactly what I'm doing.

Have a specific routine and I'm moving up in weight ever so slowly.

Have to be systematic in your approach.

And be patient.

KY

[Pluto1998]

With rotator cuff impingement, make sure you get x-rayed to determine if you don't have any bone spurs on your acromion process. No matter how much exercise rehab you do, or cortizone injections, the bone spurs will continue to rub and irritate your supraspinatus rotator cuff muscle.


Stretch these muscles:
-Pecs
-Lats
-Rhomboids

Strengthen these muscles:
-External rotator cuff muscles
-Serratus anterior(scapula pushups)

[KidDynamite]

With rotator cuff impingement, make sure you get x-rayed to determine if you don't have any bone spurs on your acromion process. No matter how much exercise rehab you do, or cortizone injections, the bone spurs will continue to rub and irritate your supraspinatus rotator cuff muscle.


Stretch these muscles:
-Pecs
-Lats
-Rhomboids

Strengthen these muscles:
-External rotator cuff muscles
-Serratus anterior(scapula pushups)

Strengthening the subscapularis is more important than strengthening the external rotators. The subscap is the one that's usually shut off, even if you're internally rotated, which most people are (pec and lats are what frequently cause internal rotation, not subscap).

Other than that, stretching levator scapula might help as well as strengthening the other upward rotators.

[Pluto1998]

Strengthening the subscapularis is more important than strengthening the external rotators. The subscap is the one that's usually shut off, even if you're internally rotated, which most people are (pec and lats are what frequently cause internal rotation, not subscap).

Other than that, stretching levator scapula might help as well as strengthening the other upward rotators.

I use to have shoulder bursitis, due to impingement. Personally for me, the pec stretch and external rotator cuff exercises helped the most.

Most strength training programs, target and overdevelop the internal rotators of the humerus. How is one supposed to remedy this imbalance, without doing any direct external rotator cuff strengthening exercises?

Good external rotator cuff strength is required to help keep the head of the humerus within the glenoid space, thus helping to prevent a decrease in the sub-acromial space during overhead lifting.


How do you stretch the levator scapula?

[Daniel0636]

I use to have shoulder bursitis, due to impingement. Personally for me, the pec stretch and external rotator cuff exercises helped the most.

Most strength training programs, target and overdevelop the internal rotators of the humerus. How is one supposed to remedy this imbalance, without doing any direct external rotator cuff strengthening exercises?

Good external rotator cuff strength is required to help keep the head of the humerus within the glenoid space, thus helping to prevent a decrease in the sub-acromial space during overhead lifting.


How do you stretch the levator scapula?

Yeah Pec stretching and rotator cuff exercises really helped me out too and doing scapula squeezing exercises as well.

[KidDynamite]

I use to have shoulder bursitis, due to impingement. Personally for me, the pec stretch and external rotator cuff exercises helped the most.

Most strength training programs, target and overdevelop the internal rotators of the humerus. How is one supposed to remedy this imbalance, without doing any direct external rotator cuff strengthening exercises?

Good external rotator cuff strength is required to help keep the head of the humerus within the glenoid space, thus helping to prevent a decrease in the sub-acromial space during overhead lifting.


How do you stretch the levator scapula?

It's a misconception though that, just because the humerus is internally rotated (due to facilitated pecs, lats, and teres major) that the subscapularis is too. It actually shuts off like the lower traps and serratus anterior, since the pecs, lats, and teres major become so dominant in internal rotation.

Because the subscapularis shuts off, the external rotators get overloaded when trying to depress the scapulae. This causes anterior humeral glide (external rotators glide the humerus forward, subscapularis backward). This is why it's important to train the subscapularis. It helps depress and posteriorly glide the humerus, getting rid of impingement. It also helps stabilize the humerus to protect the anterior shoulder capsule.

You need to stretch the overactive internal rotators, but activate and strengthen the underactive one, because it does more than just internally rotate.

Levator scapulae is pretty easy to stretch. If you're stretching the right side, stabilize your right scapulae, tilt your head lift, turn it left, and pull it downward.

[kyoun1e]

What's the best exercise for activating the subscapularis? This may be something missing in my regiment.

KY

[KidDynamite]

Overhead and prone internal rotations are both good. Don't do the one with the arm at the side as the pecs and lats activate with it too much (which is why people can do so much weight with it). Prone IR probably isolate it the best, but it can be a bit awkward to do at the gym.