If you notice shoulder weakness when you're lifting, it could be a sign of a rotator cuff injury. Same goes if your range of motion isn't as good as it was a few weeks ago. More obvious signs of injury are pain in your shoulder when you sleep on your side or pain that worsens when you lift, pull, reach overhead or reach behind your back.
How the Injury Happens
Factors other than using too much weight can cause rotator cuff injuries when you are weightlifting. These include muscle imbalances and overuse due to repetitive lifting, say James E. Graves and Barry A. Franklin, authors of "Resistance Training for Health and Rehabilitation." However, rotator cuff strain and injury most often is caused by using a weight that puts too much stress on the small cuff muscles that are used to stabilize your shoulder joint. When you lift, you put heavy stress on ligaments and tendons as well as your muscles.
Common Offenders
Weightlifting exercises that often lead to a rotator cuff exercise include the bench press, the military press and rows. Using machines meant to work your pectoralis muscles is another common cause. Incorrect technique and doing an excessive number of repetitions raise your risk for injury, say Graves and Franklin.
Treatment
Unless your injury is so severe that it requires surgery, rehabilitation of the weak muscles in your rotator cuff area is usually the key to resolving pain caused by your rotator cuff injury. It's also important for preventing future injuries, Graves and Franklin say. Correcting any issues with range of motion is equally important. When your external and internal muscles in your rotator cuff become tight, it limits your range of motion. If you do require surgery, strengthening and stretching exercises are vital for regaining strength and range of motion in your shoulder after your procedure.
Exercises
When you are rehabilitating a rotator cuff that is injured during weight lifting, the exercises you perform should not cause you pain, says FamilyDoctor.org. Common rehabilitation routines include stretches such as posterior shoulder stretches and shoulder blade stretches along with strengthening work such as shoulder flexion and abduction exercises, according to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Do the posterior shoulder stretch by lifting your arm to the height of your shoulder and pulling it across your body with your opposite arm. Perform a shoulder blade stretch by reaching across your chest with both of your hands and attempting to grasp your shoulder blades. You'll feel the stretch at the border of the shoulder blades. Do the shoulder flexion exercise by standing with your arms at your sides with your palms facing your thighs. Raise your injured arm in front of you. Lead with your thumb and keep your elbow straight. Stop when your arm is overhead and return to the start position. Use the same start position to perform the shoulder abduction. Lift your arms sideways with straight elbows until they reach shoulder height, then lower them to the starting position.
Considerations
Pinpoint which muscles are weak or injured before you start to rehabilitate your rotator cuff area. Your rotator cuff consists of four muscles and a network of tendons that form a covering around your upper arm bone. The muscles in the rotator cuff are the supraspinatus -- which is most commonly injured -- as well as the infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis muscles. See a doctor when your symptoms last more than a week, according to MayoClinic.com.
References
- "Resistance Training for Health and Rehabilitation"; James E. Graves and Barry A. Franklin; 2001
- Brown University: Shoulder Injury Rehabilitation Exercises -- Rotator Cuff Tear
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Rotator Cuff Tears
- Mayo Clinic: Rotator Cuff Injury Symptoms
- Mayo Clinic: Rotator Cuff Injury Lifestyle and Home Remedies
