The rotator cuff, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is made up of four muscles plus their tendons that allow you to move your arm away from your body. A tear in the rotator cuff is the most common cause of pain in the shoulder, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Tears can be either complete or partial and complete tears always require surgery. After surgery, rehab begins after about three to five days, and a few specific rehab exercises can help speed your shoulder's healing process.
Hand/Grip Squeezes
Squeeze a soft rubber ball or sponge in your hand. You should complete five sets of 10 to 20 repetitions with both hands to ensure that your other arm is being worked out too. Between sets perform wrist rolls for 30 seconds with each wrist. Wrist rolls increase the range of motion and are performed by keeping the elbow and upper arm still and rolling the wrist in a circular motion forward and backward. The Orthopaedic Group recommends filling a sponge with water to squeeze in the shower and using a metal grip strengthener that allows you to slowly increase resistance over time. The Orthopaedic Group recommends beginning this exercise as soon as three days after surgery.
Elbow Motion
The Orthopaedic Group suggests adding in elbow range-of-motion exercises by day three or four of rehab. The first exercises is an elbow extension: start with your elbow bent and your palm facing in toward your stomach. Then extend your elbow as far as you can without pain and repeat about five times. Another effective elbow motion exercise is the elbow swing, which you start by holding a table or chair and bend at the waist as if you were performing a row exercise. Then swing your arm forward and back for a minute and finally perform arm circles, starting small and then increasing as big as you can without pain. The Orthopaedic Group advises you to perform this for 1 to 2 minutes at a time for a total of 15 minutes per day.
Wall Crawls
After one to two weeks of rehab, wall crawls should be added to your rehab regimen. Stand one foot away from a wall and place your fingers on the wall. Then crawl your hands up the wall as high as you can without feeling pain, then walk them back down. The Orthopaedic Group warns that dropping your arm quickly without walking down can cause pain or injury to the repaired cuff.
Curls
Curls should be added in after one to two weeks of rehab, and they are performed like standard arm curls except you will not use weights. Start by curling with nothing in your hand and perform at least three sets of 10 curls in each set. If you have no pain, the Orthopaedic Group says you can add in a small can of soda to add resistance, but you should stop if you feel any pain.
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