Shoulder pain is one of the common things people suffer from. This can either be an immediate and shooting pain, or pain that develops slowly over time. In any case, such pain indicates a problem with the rotator cuff joint. Rotator cuff injuries are often exhibited as a tear, strain, or inflammation in the rotator cuff muscles and tendons.
The shoulder joint is one of the most complex we have, which makes it possible to achieve a great range of motion. This is what facilitates flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, and internal and external rotation. While it is great to have such a wide range of motion, it leaves the joint vulnerable to injuries. These injuries are sometimes brought about by degeneration. The shoulder has many tendons, which limits the amount of blood that reaches it. Since there is not much oxygen and nutrients getting there, you will find it easier to degenerate in that region as you age. You shall also find a shoulder injury taking longer than usual to recover. Another major cause of those injuries is excessive force. When those tendons have to bear excessive forces, or to take on a lot of strain, injuries are the likely result. In case you lift something heavy or place pressure on the arm in an awkward angle, you are sure to hurt that joint.
A good way of telling whether you have injured the joint is through pain or weakness. Pain is the harder symptom to track. Weakness however will immediately let you know what you are dealing with. You will find it hard to raise your arm above your head, or extend your arm directly to the side or front. The extent of the injury determines the difficulty level of this movement.
You therefore need to keep from having such an injury in the first place. Prevention, in this case, happens to be much easier than getting it cured. You, therefore, have to learn how to condition the shoulder muscles and tendons. This calls for stretching and strengthening the shoulder joints. There is also a need to always warm up the muscles and tendons to get them ready for an activity. This increases their flexibility and gets blood flowing in that region. You then need to make the muscles in the upper back, chest, and shoulders stronger, to help keep the rotator cuff safe.
You need to visit The Stretching Institute website if you wish to learn more about keeping such issues at bay. The Stretching Institute shall have plenty of info about topics like stretch for running, exercises for torn rotator cuff, how to stretch hamstrings, and such. You can use this link to check it out!