Recuperation
The first thing your doctor is going to tell you is that if you rush your shoulder back into action, you could very well pay for it down the road. So give your rotator cuff plenty of time to heal and don't do any exercises at first. Always consult with your doctor on a time line and then work with a physical therapist if possible.
Stretching
Stretching is vitally important after a rotator cuff surgery. Don't rush it. After your shoulder has a couple months to heal, you can start doing some very minimal stretching. Just getting the arm out of the sling is enough stretching at first. Eventually (after several months) you'll be able to start stretching the arm backwards, bending the elbow in, and raising and extending the shoulder. This will help the ligaments and muscles in the area not to atrophy and will be the first step in getting back your normal shoulder motion.
Rubber Bands
Rubber bands can help to strengthen your rotator cuff. They come in several different levels of thickness, which can help you build strength gradually. By using resistance bands, you can imitate exercises that you would do with free weights, only at a much lower level of exertion. Curls, presses and flies are just some of the exercises one can do with resistance bands.
Free Weights
Once you've built flexibility and strength in the shoulder, you can work on creating additional muscle for the surgically repaired shoulder through free weights. Although the bench press in not recommended for quite some time, curls, shrugs, flies and light shoulder presses are good ways to start.
About The Author
Patrick Cameron is a freelance writer with 10 years of diverse experience in consumer goods branding, promotions and retail communications. He works out of his home in Denver, Colo. He received his Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the University of Minnesota.
