3 Keys to Rehab a Rotator Cuff Tear & AVOID Surgery [UNIQUE EXERCISES]
1,443,392
Published 2021-12-09
Coach E and Dr. B demonstrate safe exercises that won’t do further damage to your shoulder and most people find long-term pain relief after 1 to 2 weeks of performing the routine. Dr. B also offers some ways to immediately settle-down any shoulder pain.
Most people with a partial tear in their rotator cuff won’t need surgery (always check with your doctor). Dr. B found that the exercises she gave her patients on her 2-year waiting list for surgery solved the problem for nearly 70% of people, avoiding the surgery all together.
The 3 keys will repattern your upper body movements to undo compensation mechanisms from years of pain, old injuries, or even just poor posture. Some of the techniques will benefit from addressing related areas, those videos are linked below in the resources section.
A rotator cuff tear doesn’t mean the end of shoulder mobility. A surprising number of people develop partial tears with age. Focusing on fixing the common issues damaging the rotator cuff in the first place will prevent more of the wear and tear later on.
00:00 - Intro
02:30 - Diagnosis and imaging
03:55 - Study: Asymptomatic Rotator Cuff Tears
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31246863/
05:50 - When do you need surgery?
07:25 - Acute pain strategies
The 3 Keys to Rehabbing a Rotator Cuff Tear & Exercises
Key #1:
10:20 - Posture and tightness
12:00 - Test for Tight Posterior Capsule
13:40 - Exercise #1: Upper Serratus Anterior Release
14:17 - Exercise #2: Pec Minor Release
Key #2:
14:54 - Position of the scapula
15:45 - Exercise #3: Standing Robot Reach
16:45 - Exercise #4: “4S” Shoulder Saver
Key #3:
17:52 - Correct Patterns
18:57 - Exercise #5: Shoulder Circle Crossovers
20:05 - Exercise #6: Side-lying External Rotation
Resources and Links Mentioned:
21:15 - Shoulder Pain Solution: www.precisionmovement.coach/shoulder-pain-solution… - a science-based, progressive program designed to fix the root causes of shoulder pain and keep them pain-free for good
Active "SLEEPER" Self-Myofascial Release: • Active "SLEEPER" Self-Myofascial Rele...
Wake Up This "Hidden" Muscle to Fix HUNCHBACK Posture: • Wake Up This "Hidden" Muscle to Fix H...
Precision Movement Academy: www.precisionmovement.coach/academy/ - includes everything you need to get ALL of your joints and muscles functioning properly to eliminate compensations and imbalances so you can get back to and keep doing the things you love, for life
ROM Coach app (free!): www.precisionmovement.coach/rom-yt/ - our beautiful mobile app to improve your mobility and help you achieve movement longevity, includes the Daily Movement Tuneup and gives you 3 new exercises that will activate every muscle and mobilize every joint in your body every 1-2 weeks (only 3-5 mins/day!)
Anatomy App: © BioDigital, Inc. www.biodigital.com/
Medical Disclaimer
The medical information on any/all of our content is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. Please consult your health care provider before making any health care decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
All Comments (21)
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I hope one day these movement patterns can be simply taught to school kids so that people understand the science of their bodies from a younger age
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I've had shoulder pain/rotator cuff pain for the past year and couldn't get it to get any better. I went to PT for 4 months and the pain minimized just a little. I went back to Ortho and they wanted to do surgery. I wasn't too happy to go that route. I jumped on YouTube found this video and have been doing these exercises for the past 3 weeks. I have to say these exercises work and my shoulder/rotator cuff has not felt this great in over a year. I was skeptical, but didn't want to have surgery so I tried it. 3X's a day for 3 weeks now and I am very happy with results. Thank you so much!
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I can’t thank you enough for this I injured my shoulder shoveling snow and felt like It wasn’t getting any better. After doing this routine for a week the pain is already going away and I can get back to my active life. These exercises are amazing and I can’t thank you enough!
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What I really like about your exercises is that THEY DO NOT REQUIRE any extra equipment, like rubber bands, etc. You can do them anywhere. THANK YOU!!!
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Hey guys! I just wanted to come back and say I watched this video over a year ago when I was at my worst pain in BOTH shoulders. I had been to PT and was still in horrible shape. Your videos saved my life! I am should pain free 98% of the time and still do these exercises when needed. I really appreciate your content! Working on my back now!
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I am from India. Have been doing number of exercises since a month under a supervision of a physiotherapist Having 50% relief. Now added your exercises and feel like 99.9% relief. Thankyou from the core of my heart.
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Absolutely incredible. Tried these exercises and felt almost instant relief of an impingement that I've been experiencing for weeks, and that I'd been doing more standard internal/external rotation and arm lift exercises to try and address without any improvement. Super excited to keep doing these and improve further!!
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Thank you very much for taking the time to do this video. I have issues with my rotator cuff and this seems to be the hardest injury to overcome, that I've had thus far. Hopefully I can make some progress using your excercises. Really grateful!
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Another awesome workout Pj - thank you and happy new year! I look forward to working out with you every morning - You keep me consistent and motivated - thank you so much :)
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Great video. Thank you both for all the help. Thank you Dr.B. for the exercises. I can’t believe that I finally got rid of that annoying shoulder pain that I’ve been suffer for so many years.
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Can't wait to try these exercises. Thank you for such a clear, concise and positive video. My right shoulder is lower and slightly forward than the left - played squash years ago and my shoulder 'popped out' which I could push back into place, so to speak. I intuited standing against the wall doing the slow upwards motions but the other exercises I will do to hopefully better my posture and alignment. And thank you for sharing straightforward advice!
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Thanks so much to both of you for taking the time and effort to post this comprehensive guide and advice. I recently damaged my shoulder and through watching this video was able to self diagnose and treat a problem with my scapular position, 3 weeks in and I'm well on the way to a full recovery, just becoming able to complete the shoulder crossover circles you demonstrate, without pain! Fabulous! Thanks again.
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Thank you Coach E and Dr B, as a 63 yo retiree, I am still playing tennis 3-4x a week and riding/racing/coaching MTB bikes and off road motorcycles. I have a lifetime of overhead sports (baseball pitcher and tennis), but my rotator cuff has been bomber up until 3 weeks ago when I cartwheeled my dirtbike. Acute pain immediately, and difficulty/some pain when lifting my arm. Two days ago visited an Ortho clinic, prelim diagnosis was tear in supraspinatus, had a immediate orthorpeadic ultrasound with a confirmation of a 1/2cm partial tear in supraspinatus tendon of the rotator cuff. My tennis teaching professional suggested reviewing Coach E's youtube videos and I found and watched this one. I am doing home PT with the hope of being back to normal in 6-8 weeks with no surgery. Thank you again for the excellent video. I plan to continue to do easy MTB/road bike rides (no crashing allowed) and am working at developing the capability to play tennis with my non-dominate arm in the short run to scratch my itch of playing tennis during my two months of rehabbing the dominate arm. Cheers and Thank you. I am hoping for no surgery and no further crashing in the short term!
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This is by far one of the most accurate videos I have seen for rotator cuff function and rehabilitation. I am saving this video to educate myself later for the sake of my personal training clients!
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I’m not a sports athlete but I AM an artist who stands in front of an easel holding a palette and wielding my brushes for up to 10 hour days. My shoulders take on a lot of strain. After doing these, I can also sense a freedom to my rib cage! These are excellent, thank you!!!
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This is so helpful! And also the form and quality of the video itself and the way you walk people through the exercises is fantastic.
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great job! I had a shoulder dislocation some time back, I have visited a lot of different doctors and physiotherapists and I end up doing the exact exercises shown above! Really good wrap up video! Keep creating content!
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Awesome video, great explanation, and demonstration super informative, straightforward no-nonsense so happy I found it. I have been dealing with shoulder pain for over 2 years. Already started to put this into practice and am excited to see the result. Thank you
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Thank you for really helping me understand my pain which is continual as a personal trainer with severe radiation damage from treatment for hodgkins disease as a child. I was ensconced in both Coach E and Dr B's thorough description of what is actually happening to my body and how to help myself repair it. I now am taking these REPAIR exercises to my clients. n excellent and informative video.
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Words can't express how helpful you two are and will continue to be! It has become quite clear precisely where my issues lie and I will be fixed because of this video and the linked videos. Free content like this is priceless and I couldn't even get through this comment without tears. Thank You!!!
