I have had the great fortune to have my NOVA team mate Julia Juliusson of Sports Science Lab to treat my hurt shoulder...I mean rotator cuff. I have learned that the rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles. These individual muscles combine at the shoulder to form a "cuff" over the joint. The rotator cuff has function of stabilizing the shoulder as well as elevating and rotating the arm. Each muscle originates on the shoulder blade (scapula) and inserts at the arm (humerus ).
The four muscles that form the rotator cuff are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.
Without the diagnostic benefit of an MRI, Julia was able to tactilely determine that I had at the least, an impinged supraspinatus tendon. She has been treating my injury with ultrasound, massage, prescribed stretches and now strengthening exercises (ball and weights). She has also gotten me in the pool with a device called a "bell" that is like a multi-sided paddle (It really feels good to be in the water too!)
Today she had me swim a few lengths of freestyle and saw that my hurt left arm was doing the evil "crossover"! I was kind of shocked because I have read so many articles about avoiding that! I know my stroke has not been like that in the past and I had no idea that I had developed such a bad stroke! On subsequent laps, I brought the left arm out, held my core and rotated more. I still felt a bit of the "pinch" (impingement), but nothing like where I was even last week.
With Julia's help, I will be able to fix my stroke and do more long swims!
Julia is the best! Without her input, I would have likely jumped in too early and tried to swim through the pain and would have hurt myself more. This could have resulted in a lifetime condition of chronic shoulder issues!
I completely recommend Julia and Sports Science Lab to anyone facing any kind of rehabilitation issues!
They are the BEST!!!
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