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Learn about our editorial process Laura Inverarity, DO Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT on April 26, 2020 linkedin Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist currently working in New York at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, an affiliate of New York Presbyterian. Learn about our Medical Review Board Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT on April 26, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All Overview Exercise One Exercise Two Exercise Three Intensity Common Problems Next in Home Office Ergonomics Guide Everything You Need to Know About Your Shoulder Joint The rotator cuff consists of a group of four muscles that perform several functions, including: helping to lift your arm away from your body, rotating your arm in its socket, and stabilizing your shoulder during overhead motions. Generally, these muscles act as dynamic stabilizers while you are lifting your arms up and away from your body. Overview The rotator cuff muscles can be prone to inflammation and tears due to repetitive overhead motions. An important way to reduce tears or rotator cuff injury is by strengthening these muscles—and the exercises below will show you how to to do just that. Be sure to check in with your doctor before starting these exercises for your rotator cuff muscles. A visit or two with your local (or online) physical therapist can also help ensure that you are doing the exercises properly and that they are safe for you. Exercise One Lie on your stomach on a table or a bedPut one arm out at shoulder level with your elbow bent to 90 degrees and your hand downKeeping your elbow bent, rotate your shoulder so that the back of your hand raises up towards the ceilingLower the hand slowlyRepeat 10 timesPerform with opposite arm Exercise Two Lie on your side on a bed or the floorPlace your upper arm at your side with your elbow bent to 90 degrees, and your forearm resting against your chest, palm downRotate your shoulder out, raising your forearm until it is level with your shoulderLower the hand slowlyRepeat 10 timesPerform with opposite arm Exercise Three Stand with your arms slightly behind you with both thumbs downRaise your arms up, pretending that you are emptying a can with each handLower the arms slowlyRepeat 10 times Intensity You can make any of these exercises more challenging by holding a small dumbbell. Start light—usually 2 or 3 pounds is enough to create adequate resistance. Another way to add resistance is to perform shoulder exercises with a resistance band. The rotator cuff exercises can be done 2 or 3 times per week or as directed by your physical therapist. Be sure to stop the exercise if you feel worsening pain in your shoulder, shoulder blade, or arm. The 10 Best Resistance Bands of 2021 Common Problems If you have weakness in your rotator cuff muscles, you may experience various problems with your shoulders. These may include: Rotator cuff tearsShoulder tendonitisBiceps tendonitisShoulder bursitis Any and all of these problems can cause a loss of range of motion and limited function of your upper extremities. Working to keep your rotator cuff muscles strong can help you possibly avoid these problems with your shoulders. A Word From Verywell If you are looking to keep your shoulders strong, consulting with your physical therapist to learn rotator cuff strengthening exercises is a good idea. Your physical therapist can tailor a rotator cuff exercise program just for you to help keep your shoulders strong and mobile. Anatomy of the Human Shoulder Joint Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Harvard Health Publishing. Rotator cuff injury. Updated December 2018. Heron SR, Woby SR, Thompson DP. Comparison of three types of exercise in the treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy/shoulder impingement syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Physiotherapy. 2017;103(2):167-173. doi:10.1016/j.physio.2016.09.001