Your rotator cuff is made of 4 muscles (Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis) that work to stabilise your shoulder joint. Your shoulder is a ball and socket joint made up of your arm bone (humerus) and the socket on your shoulder blade (scapular). It is the most mobile joint in the body which is why it's so important to ensure your rotator cuff muscles are strong to help prevent injury and dysfunction. Most people are familiar with the importance of having strong core (abdominal) muscles, you should think about your rotator cuff muscles in the same way!

Your rotator cuff muscles act like a vacuum to keep the ball (the top of your arm bone) inside its socket that makes up your shoulder joint. They also assist in all movements of the shoulder, if they’re not strong enough to effectively assist in shoulder movements, this means that other muscles are overworking to compensate, leading to problems in the long term such as muscle imbalance, dysfunction or injury. Common signs of rotator cuff problems include pain and swelling in the front of your shoulder and the side of your arm, pain triggered by raising or lowering your arm, and stiffness to name a few. 

If you do suffer from any of these symptoms, stay tuned for our upcoming posts where we provide details on how to strengthen your rotator cuff and what easy exercises you can incorporate into your life, in order to fast track your recovery.