When you think of rotator cuff repair exercises you are probably thinking of exercises to perform after a surgical repair procedure. What if you could perform exercises that would help an injury heal without the need for surgery? With the right circumstances many injuries to the rotator cuff can heal without surgery. This article will discuss the importance of exercise in the healing process.

Once you have developed an injury to the small muscles of this muscle group the exercise program needed for the rehab process has to be specifically designed to promote healing of the injured muscles and tendons while at the same time protecting them from not getting worse. You can’t just perform any exercises that you want. They have to be specific to the injury of the rotator cuff.

Rotator cuff repair exercises are not centered around lifting heavy weights or developing muscle mass. The muscles in question are small in size and although they need to withstand stressful forces during normal daily activities they are built for endurance, not raw power. Strengthening these muscles focuses more on endurance vs. power. So resistive exercises are performed with lighter weights and typically high repetition. As the muscles and tendons improve exercises that challenge the need of the muscles (i.e. sport, occupation, etc) are incorporated into the treatment program.

Stretching and flexibility exercises should be added to the rehab program as well. Without normal range of motion of the shoulder joint the biomechanics will be off and you will be prone to reinjury in the future.

To be successful in healing this type of injury without surgery you have to perform the right exercises consistently. Your efforts can’t be hit or miss. This type of injury can be stubborn if not tended to properly. The more consistent you are in performing your exercises the better your chances of improving.

Lastly, rotator cuff repair exercises are not just random exercises that you can perform without any guidance or training. They have to be done in a very specific manner and progressed only when appropriate. Your rehab exercises should be developed by an expert in the field of musculoskeletal pathology. This way you know you are getting exactly what you need to succeed.

Foot pain is a common problem which afflicts approximately 75 percent of Americans at some point within their lifetimes. A high percentage of these individuals, moreover, suffer from constant or reoccurring pain that inhibits their activities. However, according to experts, it is not necessary to suffer with chronic foot pain. If you understand what causes this condition you will have the tools needed to successfully treat it.

What Causes Foot Pain?

Though small, the feet serve multiple physiological functions. They support the weight of the body, stabilize the balance, and absorb the pressure (or shock) of walking. They also prompt the movement of the legs. These essential functions place enormous stress on the feet.

According to the Chronic Pain Connection, the pressure of walking, alone, “is about 50% greater than the person’s body weight. [Moreover] during a typical day, people spend about 4 hours on their feet and take 8,000 to 10,000 steps. This means that the feet support a combined force equivalent to several hundred tons every day.”

It’s little wonder, then, that foot pain is such a common condition. But certain bodily functions and lifestyle factors can greatly influence the risk of developing chronic pain. These factors include:

• Shoes. Poorly fitting shoes are a common cause of foot pain, say experts. Moreover, women who wear high heels are at a greater risk of developing this condition.
• Temperature. The feet can change shape or size by as much as 5 percent due to weather conditions. Higher temperatures tend to make the feet swell, while cooler temperatures shrink the tissues.
• Exercising. Many different foot conditions, and consequent pain, are related to high-impact exercising such as that involved in aerobics or running. Some of the exercise-induced foot conditions/pains include calluses, muscle cramps, twisted ankles, corns, plantar fasciitis (painful swelling of the bottom of the feet) and blisters.
• Certain diseases. Any disease that causes poor circulation, such as diabetes, can contribute to chronic pain.
• Physical disabilities. Many inherited physical disabilities that affect the legs or feet, such as uneven gait, can cause pain in the feet.
• Profession. Although more research needs to be done, preliminary studies indicate that those who work in a profession that requires standing for prolonged periods of time, such as waitresses and police officers, are more susceptible to pain in their feet.
• Arthritis.
• Hypertension. This condition can cause the feet to swell due to poor circulation and fluid buildup.
• Age. The aged population is particularly susceptible to chronic pain in the feet. Over the years, the padding on the bottom of the feet thins out, causing the feet to flatten.

Preventing Foot Pain

The best way to alleviate foot pain, say experts, is by preventing the development. To that end, one should choose exercise programs very carefully to prevent high-impact foot injuries, change exercise shoes every 6 months (to prevent pain and injuries caused by the worn soles, or insoles, of shoes), and wear properly fitted shoes.

Diagnosing the Cause of Foot Pain

If the cause of the foot pain is not obvious, a visit to a doctor is recommended. Foot pain can signal serious medical conditions, such as diabetes, kidney malfunction or nerve damage, and should not be ignored.

Depending upon the type of foot pain, diagnosing its cause can involve several different tests.

- Physical/visual inspection. The physician will inspect the foot using both visual and physical methods. He or she may physically manipulate the foot to find the source of the pain. The physician may also ask you to walk or run so that your gait can be observed for probable foot malfunctions.

- Nerve test. Many causes of foot pain are due to foot injuries and, as such, nerve tests are extremely effective at pinpointing such injuries.

- X-rays. Depending on the type of pain, the physician may subject the foot to x-rays, MRIs, or bone scans to judge the integrity of the bones of the feet.

Treating Foot Pain

According to experts, any foot pain warrants immediate attention. Such attention, however, need not be medical-at least in the beginning. Indeed, there are a number of self-treatment options for chronic pain.

Self Treatment Options.

At the first sign of foot pain, experts recommend that you:

- Rest the foot to allow the healing process to begin.

- Apply ice to the affected foot (no more than 20 minutes at a time) to reduce swelling. Be sure to wrap the ice in a towel or a plastic bag before placing it on the skin.

- Elevate the foot to further reduce swelling.

- Take over-the-counter medications, if necessary, to reduce the pain or swelling. Acetaminophens such as Tylenol, for example, are known to relieve such pain. Aspirin or ibuprofen are effective in reducing both the pain and the swelling.

If these self-treatment applications are not successful, there are many medical options that have proven to be quite effective.

Medical Options.

Depending on the cause of the foot pain, several different medical options may be prescribed.

- Switching physical fitness activities. Certain high-impact exercises, such as running and aerobics, are known to exacerbate foot injuries and pain. Consequently, a physician may prescribe a change to low-impact exercises such as swimming or elliptical machines.

- Corrective shoes. Pain may be alleviated by a changing to a different pair or style of shoes, or the pain may warrant the addition of foot pads, proper shoe/sock combinations, or foot support aids, not to mention corrective footwear.

- Exercise therapy. A physician may prescribe a certain exercise regimen designed to strengthen the muscles of the feet and related muscle groups to alleviate the pressure on the afflicted areas.

- Medications. There are many medications (prescription and over-the-counter) that have proven to relieve foot pain.

- Surgery. As a last resort, corrective surgery has been shown to be successful in decreasing foot pain and treating foot injuries, albeit the downtime is a consideration for many.

If you take precautions to eliminate the possible causes of foot pain, you may have little need for these treatment options. But, if necessary, these treatment options ensure that you do not have to live with chronic pain.

Have you ever had the experience where your head was throbbing, you were distracted by something else and the throbbing went away until your distraction ended?

The type of pain that “went away” when you were otherwise occupied can range from mild to intense.

When you focus on something else, you move your attention from the pain. You’re not paying attention to the nerve impulses of extreme discomfort.

This is a perfect example of the mind-body connection… how your mind affects your physical body.

The intensity of pain is subjective. What I experience as intense, you may experience as negligible.

That’s why intensity is measured subjectively.

One method is the “Verbal Description Scale.” It goes from 1 (none) -5 (excruciating). Health care professionals utilize a scale from 1-10 to give the patient more options in describing their discomfort.

You can use these types of measurements to identify what happens to your discomfort level as you perform different activities. This gives you your personal measurable “objective” scale (as in it’s you who uses it and knows what it means), based upon your subjective (as in it’s personal to you only) interpretation.

If you’re reading this article, I’m going to guess you’re hurting somewhere.

Focus on the hurt for a moment and give it a rating from 1 - 10 (none to the worst imaginable). Write it down so you don’t forget.

Now go do something else. Read something, do multiplication tables, watch something that makes you laugh. Get really involved in it… so involved you forget you’re doing this little experiment.

When you’ve finished your activity, assess your level of hurt in two ways. First, what intensity ranking would you give it during the time you were occupied with something else? Second, what level is it now?

The difference demonstrates how distraction changes the subjective perception of the signals from your body.

You have occupied your brain with something other than the way you feel physically.

Breathing deeply also helps when you can’t distract yourself with an activity.

Do the initial assessment of pain level.

Now, sit straight, or if you can’t do that, lay down flat on your back.

Take some deep breaths. As you inhale, focus on the flow of your breath into your nose, down your throat and into your lungs. Feel your chest expand. Feel your abdomen expand.

As you exhale, attempt to let the air from your lungs leave first, then from your abdomen.

Do this at least 7 times.

What is your discomfort measurement now?

Play with these techniques so you can impress upon yourself that you do have some control over how you feel.