Relief for the Rotator Cuff

I know I promised in my last message I'd talk about pain. And I said I'd pass along remarks made by Mark Jenkins in his recent Outside magazine article. But...

I want to talk about something else today.

Not pain in general, but rotator cuff pain. Ask anyone who's had it and they will tell you about their misery--in vivid, excruciating detail. Someone with rotator cuff pain will point to the front of his shoulder when you ask where it hurts. Most people say that they can't sleep lying on the affected side, because of pain.

Megan Sappington, one of my teacher training program participants from a few years ago, asked me just yesterday about one of her students who hurt her shoulder. Should she be doing yoga with rotator cuff pain? And, is there a way to do yoga that will aid in healing her rotator cuff?

Yes. In general, yes. You can do yoga with rotator cuff pain. And my experience is that yoga can help with rotator cuff pain. But it's easier said than done. [This entire message and everything on this web page do not constitute medical advice. This material is not given for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. For diagnosis or treatment, you should consult a licensed medical professional.]

If you'd like to understand the rotator cuff and typical rotator cuff problems, see this excellent patient guide.

The rotator cuff is a set of tendons associated with the muscles that attach your shoulder blade (scapula) to your upper arm bone (humerus). Tendons attach muscle to bone. When those tendons are worn, torn, inflamed, or entirely ruptured, it hurts.

For most of the people I work with, I can teach them one thing that makes rotator cuff pain go away. It's surprisingly simple: move your upper arms toward your back body. That's it. When you do this, you bring your shoulder into a more ideal alignment. Your own natural healing energy begins to flow through the shoulder girdle. Then pain goes away as the the tendons are healed and inflammation goes down.

That simple, eh? Yes. It's that simple.

It usually doesn't work in two instances: 1) when the person I'm working with doesn't actually do it, and 2) when there's a complete rupture of one of the tendons. How do you know if your tendon is ruptured? You won't be able to lift your arm. A doctor will tell you this not-so-wonderful news after a physical exam that may include an MRI study. If you're tendon is ruptured, it won't heal. Surgery is in your future.

But let's get back to the technique. Move your upper arm bones back, towards your back body. When you do it, you'll feel two things: 1) your shoulder blades will feel snug up against your back ribs, and 2) you'll feel a hollow "trough" between your shoulder blades.

So, you can do yoga AND you can do particular yoga poses, as long as your upper arm bones are back and the space between your shouder blades is concave. The same rule applies to daily activities. Do them as long as you can keep your upper arm bones back. (Good luck with driving and eating soup. And good luck with bearing weight on your arms. Hard to do, but with practice, YOU CAN DO IT.)

Here's a little tidbit of news: since we slouch a lot, almost everyone I know has his or her upper arm bones in a forward position.

Check out this cover girl. With few exceptions, women pictured on magazine covers have their upper arm bones hunched forward. See how the front of her shoulder points forward? I call that steer-horning the shoulders.


Upper arms are forward.

People who like to lift weights typically have their upper arm bones in a forward position, especially when they're bench pressing. Ask someone who bench presses regularly if he or she has sore tender spots on the fronts of the shoulders. Or just watch. If he can't raise his arm to comb his hair, suspect rotator cuff pain.

I love this old posture poster. Almost everyone with problem posture presses his or her arms forward.


An old posture poster. Except for the woman at the far left, they all have their upper arm bones forward.

Can you see how sending your kids to school with one of those 25-pound book bags is a recipe for future shoulder pain?

But you don't have to live with shoulder pain. Practice yoga poses with your upper arm bones retracted back into the shoulder joints. As you work with more challenging poses, those in which more weight is borne in the arms, the healing power of this action becomes magnified. So don't be surprised if one day while you're doing a hard yoga pose, with humeri retracted, the pain in your shoulders leaves you for good.

Not a believer? Ask me a question. Click on the word comment below and speak your mind. I'll to my best to address your concerns.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., Megan is a great teacher. You should check out her classes on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in California, MO. She teaches in the beautiful space above Dr. Vanderfeltz's office on North Street. Email her at m.sappington@mchsi.com for details. She also teaches a yoga class for teens at Show Me Yoga Center in Jefferson City on Thursday evenings.


Megan Sappington

p.p.s., Just about everything I know about "yoga therapeutics" I've learned from John Friend or one of his students. He is a gifted teacher and healer. And he's the founder of Anusara yoga. Check out the Teachers Directory at www.Anusara.com to find a teacher near you.

p.p.p.s., Do you want to participate in our next Teacher Training Program in St. Louis? We'll meet one weekend each month for a year. You'll finish with all the hours you need to be a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher. The focus of this training is on Teaching Yoga, not learning to do yoga poses. Send me an email at info@experienceyoga.org to find out more about the Experience Yoga Teacher Training Program, taught by me and Sallie Keeney.

Copyright 2005. All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
1305 Elmerine Ave
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737