📚The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles that work together to help stabilize and control movement of the shoulder:

👉 Supraspinatus

👉 Infraspinatus

👉 Teres minor

👉 Subscapularis

🔎These muscles surround the shoulder joint and play an important role in maintaining the position of the humeral head while the arm moves. They also contribute to shoulder rotation and elevation.

💡Rotator cuff tendinopathy and tears are common sources of shoulder pain, but understanding the anatomy and function of these four muscles can help us better understand how the shoulder works and how it can be rehabilitated.

📖 Here in the app, you’ll find a three-phase rotator cuff rehabilitation program designed to progressively restore strength, mobility, and function. Here is a link for the program.

https://membership.rehabscience.com/programs/shoulder-pain?category_id=259882

I love the Rehab Science app and customizable protocols! Life is so much better when you are not in pain or know how to eliminate pain. Thank you Rehab Science! - Chris

🔎The lateral step down can be useful both as an assessment of lower quarter control and as a prehab/rehab exercise.

🧠In the traditional test, the individual places their hands on their hips and stands at the edge of a 20cm step. Then, they bend the affected knee until the heel on the other limb contacts the floor. Finally, they return to the start position and perform a total of five repetitions.

👉Whether you are performing this as a test or an exercise, here are the items that would indicate a potential control issue:

1️⃣Arm Strategy: removal of hand from waist

2️⃣Trunk Alignment: leaning in any direction

3️⃣Pelvis: loss of horizontal plane

4️⃣Knee: center of tibia medial to 2nd toe

5️⃣Stance: patient steps onto non-test limb

✅If you want to test your control, simply have someone record your movement and review the results using the criteria above. If an issue is detected, this test can then be used as an exercise on your leg training day.

📚Reference: Rabin A, et al. Factors Associated With Visually-Assessed Quality of Movement During a Lateral Step Down Test Among Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2014.

Hi everyone,

A new knee valgus exercise video is available in the app. Here is a link for the video!

https://membership.rehabscience.com/programs/dynamic-valgus?utm_source=product&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=content_share&utm_term=4316333&utm_content=mobile

📚The posterior compartment of the forearm contains the wrist and finger extensor muscles, which are responsible for extending the wrist and fingers and partially stabilizing the lateral elbow.

🧠Soft tissue mobilization (massage) of these muscles is often implemented in physical therapy and can help with conditions like tennis elbow (lateral epicondylalgia), radial nerve entrapment issues and some wrist pain issues.

🔎To mobilize these muscles, work from the distal forearm proximally toward the outside of the elbow (lateral epicondyle). Tenderness will usually be most severe as you get closer to the elbow where the tendons attach.

👉In addition to implementing soft tissue techniques like this, it’s also important to incorporate exercises that load and strengthen the extensor muscles and their tendons.

✅The tennis elbow program here in the app will teach you the best exercises and guide you through three phases of rehab. Click the link below to access this program.

https://membership.rehabscience.com/programs/tennis-elbow?category_id=260466

Hi Tom. I meant to ask you this morning on YouTube about your thoughts on daily stretching and if you think it's important. Can you share with us your thoughts, and would you consider making a video about stretches/what's most important? I'd like to get a PT perspective as opposed to a fitness person's.