The Rotator Cuff is a fascinating and complex structure. With its muscles and tendons, it is designed to stabilize our shoulder. It is a crucial part of the human anatomy because it helps to suspend the entire upper limb from the rest of the body, and allows all of our shoulder movements. As a massage therapist, it is important to know how the Rotator Cuff is designed and how exactly it functions. The majority of my clients suffer from some type of shoulder pain or discomfort, and damage to the Rotator Cuff is one of the most common causes.
To understand how the cuff works, we must understand its anatomy. The Rotator Cuff is comprised of your Shoulder Joint, 4 muscles and a ligament. The Shoulder Joint, otherwise known as the Glenohumeral Joint is a Synovial Ball and Socket Joint. We have many types of joints in our bodies and they all serve different purposes for different functions. The Rotator Cuff was designed for a wide variety of movements and this type of joint makes these movements possible. Synovial Joints allow for this extra mobility because the cavities between bones in a synovial joint are filled with synovial fluid. This fluid helps to lubricate and protect these bones in motion. Below is a posterior view of the Glenohumeral Joint. (more…)
