The rotator cuff, what is that?

Posted By irvinechiro / Date Posted: 2016-04-18

What is the rotator cuff and why is it so important? 

I am certain everybody taking the time to read this has heard of the term ‘rotator cuff’ and it’s likely that a large number of the readers have even injured this mysterious being called the rotator cuff.

So what is it?

Well, what I am also certain about is that not many reading this, if you aren’t a trained health professional will be able to answer that question effectively. Hopefully I can explain what it is and help you understand why failing to treat it with the respect it deserves may leave you with a sore and injured shoulder.

The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles easily remembered by using the acronym S.I.T.S. This stands for Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis. These 4 strong muscles have a very important role to play in ensuring the gleno-humeral joint (GH jt) which is our ball and socket shoulder joint stays in its optimal position throughout motion. This is called ‘centration’ of the shoulder.

Why is this important?

Many injuries in the shoulder region can be attributed to poor centration and the consequent irritation to tissues such as the delicate bursa and tendons of these muscles. Poor centration may come from imbalance in the muscles of the shoulder region. Many large muscles surround the shoulder and may become overdeveloped due to the type of training we may be doing or our posture and in most cases a mixture of these two. If you have good control of the shoulder motions you may be able to handle this stress without injuring yourself but it generally is only a matter of time.

These 4 muscles like any muscle in the body need to be trained and maintained to ensure that they are strong enough to withstand the force put on them.

Consult with your Chiropractor to get the most current and evidenced based exercises into your routine.