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What about my rotator cuff?

In my last post we talked about the shoulder girdle.  But that’s not the only part of the shoulder that you need to move to ensure healthy, mobile, and strong shoulders over the course of a lifetime.  In this blog I will teach you about the “true” shoulder joint (aka the glenohumeral joint) and how to keep it healthy so you can stay active!


The glenohumeral joint is where your upper arm bone (humerus) connects to the shoulder blade (scapula). This joint is an amazingly movable ball-and-socket joint. The design is similar to the hip but differs in the amount of motion it allows. It does this by not tightly securing the head of the humerus into the fossa (a shallow depression on the scapula where the head of the humerus attaches) of the scapula with bony structure but rather with only soft tissue. This allows the shoulder to have a lot of range of motion but also makes it relatively fragile compared to the hip when not strengthened.


Here are some pictures of the glenohumeral joint:

The Right Humerus (upper arm bone)



ANTERIOR view of the glenohumeral joint



POSTERIOR view of the glenohumeral joint



Lateral view of the glenoid fossa (Humerus removed).



3 of the 4 rotator cuff muscles



In the interest of simplicity, this blog will focus on the most important aspect of shoulder movement, which is rotation. Why is rotation the most important movement in the shoulder? For the same reason, it’s the most important movement in the hip: it is controlled by your deep tissue layers. If you recall in my blog about the hips, the deep tissue dictates how much joint space is available, which is always the limiting factor in joint movement. Rotational exercises help create joint space. So, what are some of my favorite rotational shoulder exercises?


1. The Adducted Cuban Rotation: This exercise is a game-changer. It makes it very easy to understand rotation through the humerus and makes it easy to see the compensations that occur when trying to increase shoulder rotation. I suggest trying this in front of a mirror. If you don't have a barbell to rest your arm, you can rest on a kitchen table while sitting.

2. The Prone Shoulder External Rotation: This exercise can be somewhat difficult for people with limited shoulder mobility, so don’t force anything if it doesn't want to go. An easy way to modify is to elevate your elbow on a yoga block so your elbow is higher than your hand.


The shoulder complex is just that: complex. But it is that way so that we can manipulate the world around us. The use of our arms for reaching, throwing, swinging, chopping, scratching, and cartwheels are some characteristics that make us different from other animals. These characteristics depend on the shoulder being both mobile and stable depending on the task. At Triad Wellness, our proprietary blend of training will allow you to do whatever it is you want to do with your shoulder for the rest of your life.


Schedule your No Sweat Intro call today and start your journey to better shoulder health!


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