Friday, August 7, 2009

Rotator Cuff Anatamy explained

I thought I should do a short article of what exactly is the rotator cuff anatomy. Hopefully this will help people understand how to prevent common injuries to the shoulder.

There are four points in the shoulder where bone meets bone. Two of these cause most of the problems with exercisers. The A/C joint and the gleno-humeral joint..

A/C Joint
The A/C joint is where the shoulder blade meets the collarbone. These two bones are held together by only a ligament. With too much pressure or a large impact, you can stretch or tear this ligament allowing the bones to seperate. This is what happens when someone separates their shoulder.

Gleno-humeral Join
The Gleno-humeral joint on the other hand is where the shoulder blade meets the arm bone, the humerus. This joint is what most people think about when they think of the shoulder. It includes the glenoid fossa which is the depression into which the ball of the upper arm bone fits. This is a ball and socket joint. The muscles and tendons in this area are what keep the bones in the correct position.

There are many muscles that cause movement of the shoulder and make up the rotator cuff anatomy. Most of these muscles are responsible for more than one movement. An example of this is the bicep. It is used for flexing the arm, but it also assists in raising the arm forward. Other muscles involved in shoulder movements include the shoulders(duh), chest, triceps, and the lats.

To prevent injury or perform rotator cuff therapy, try my small exercise routine. You can find more exercise and nutrition tips at my blog, Go Healthy Fitness.

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