Play it forward (Part 2) - Shoulder - Rotator cuff inflammation or tear

Common sports: jogging, bycicle riding, long distance walking, soccer, basketball, and tennis

Symptoms: the pain from external thigh gradually spreads to back thigh or below orbicularis. You will have a pain on hip or upper thigh, get a swell on knees, and hear rustle when moving your knees.

Movement instructions: the following movements will help you stretch hip and thigh muscles, have direct impact on IT, make IT and muscles around more flexible and resistant, and prevent rub and trauma:

The first movement: Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)

This movement helps to stretch hamstring at the join with IT

Performance method: stand straight and put you legs crossed so that the right ankle lies in an opposite way to the left one. When your thighs are at crossed posture, bend your body to the front and put your hands on the floor. Put your hipbone towards and move your rib out of the hipbone frame so as to avoid the backache. Keep the posture, breathe steadily in 1 minute, and then repeat the process.

The second movement: Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

This movement helps to stretch fasciae difficult to touch at the top of IT.

Performance method: put the right leg to the front, and lift the hip backwards so that it lies on the knees. The tendency of this movement is pushing hipbone frame towards the front and stretching folded muscles of the hip. When feeling that the bottom back is not painful, put the right hand on the right thigh, lift the left hand above the head and towards the right. At this time, you will feel the top hip of the left leg. Keep the posture, breathe steadily in 30 to 60 seconds, and then reverse.

The third movement: Supine Cow Face Pose

This movement helps to stretch maximally glutei, attaches closely to IT.

Performance method: lie supinely on the floor and cross one thigh to the other. Keep your thighs on the floor, hug them near to chest, and stop when you feel that muscles are stretched. If you are unable to bend your legs, hold tight the ankles and pull them closely to the hip. Keep the posture in 1 minute and reverse.

3.     Shoulder - Rotator cuff inflammation or tear

Rotator cuff is a group including 4 kinds of muscle that help keep the humerus in shoulder cavity stable and support the shoulders move. The tendons of these muscles are often stimulated easily and tear due to trauma or movements that are repeated many times. Typically, this injures weak muscles that help shouders’ blades stable and help cling to the rotator cuff.

Common sports: swimming, yoga, mountain climbing, goft, tennis

Symptoms: since rotator cuff includes 4 different kinds of muscle and tendon, the symptoms will be different, depending on each kind of muscle. Generally, you will feel really painful at the top of your shoulders, and the pain can spread to everywhere near the shoulders, including blades and armpits.

Movement instructions: the following movements help you practice strength of muscles around shouders and recover the rotator cuff. Thanks to that, you will have a more strongly supporting structure to reduce the threat of contracting trauma and recover more quickly.

Rotator cuff tear

The first movement: Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

This movement helps to stretch the whole rotator cuff by moving both internal and external hand muscles. (If you shouders are tightened, you can do this movement in the hot tank or use the help of a strip of silk or towel if you cannot touch it).

Performance method: in standing (or sitting) posture, put your left hand straight to the left, parallel with the floor, move the hand inside, rotate your thumb down to the floor, then point at the wall on your back, and let your hand face down. Breathe deep, move the hand to the body and put the forearm backwards so that it is parallel to the belt and the left elbow is against the left body. Move the shoulders backwards, and move the forearm to the top back until it is parallel with backbone. Put your right hand to the front, stretch it, and fold the elbow to the back until both hands touch each other. Keep the posture in 1 minute and reverse.

The second movement: Blank Pose

This movement helps to consolidate strength for blade’s muscles in shouders and buid a good base for rotator cuff.

Performance method: lie on the floor with propping and pushing posture. When breathing out, keep the elbow straight, gradually put the thorax down to the floor and adjust so that shouder blades are towards each other. When breathing in, strongly push the floor so that your thorax is afar from it, keep the position of backbone still, and adjust so that shouder blades are afar from each other. Imagine that your shouder blades slide near or afar from each other around the thorax. Repeat the movement 10 times, take rest by some breathing, and continue to repeat it. To have firm and strong muscles, practice continually from 15 to 20 times.

The third movement: Slide Plank Pose

This movement helps to increase strength of muscles in rotator cuff and helps them work coordinately.