Shoulder Injury Treatments

By Steve Silverman

The shoulder is supported by four small muscles called the rotator cuff. When one of these muscles gets damaged or injured, it can make everyday activities difficult or impossible and it can play havoc with a golfer's ability to swing the club. After resting the shoulder for a few days, your physician may recommend a series of exercises to rebuild strength and range of motion in the joint because it's a far less invasive procedure than surgery.

Shoulder Shrugs

Stand with your arms at your sides and relax your back and neck. Shrug you shoulders up and hold the position for two seconds. Relax and return to the starting position. Do this 15 times, take a 20-second break and repeat the set.

Elastic Band: Interior Pull

Take one end of an elastic therapy band and hook it to a secure piece of furniture. Hold the other end of the band at shoulder level with your arms extended. Pull the band toward your body until your elbows are bent and your hands are under your chin. Return to the starting position. Do this 10 times, take a 30-second break and then repeat the set.

Elastic Band: Exterior Stretching

Take an elastic therapy band and hold it at shoulder height with your arms extended straight in front of you. Pull both ends to the side until your arms are pointing in the opposite directions. Return to the starting position. Do this 10 times, take a 30-second break and then repeat the set.

Wall Push-Ups

Stand about 18 inches from a wall. Extend your arms and put both hands on the wall. Place your right foot about six inches in front of your left foot. Bend your elbow until your chin is about two inches from the wall. Press your arms out and return to the starting position. Do this 10 times and then switch positions with your feet and repeat the exercise. Take a 30-second break and repeat the set.

Curls on an Exercise Ball

Sit down on an exercise ball and find the point where you are balanced. Take two three-pound dumbbells and hold them down at your sides. Curl the weights up to shoulder height and then return your arms to the starting position. Repeat this exercise 10 times, take a 30-second break and repeat the set. Working with light weights will keep you from doing further damage to your shoulder and the repeated motion will help you build up the smaller shoulder muscles.

About the Author

Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.