RotatoReliever

[rjgrigaitis]

Do any of you guys suffer from shoulder problems? 40 days ago, I did, but not anymore. You can read about how I fixed my shoulders with the RotatoReliever here:
http://grigaitis.net/lift/2012/05/rotatoreliever/

BTW: I don't make any money on this, I'm just passing on information.

[JC]

How and where exactly does the strap go, the site doesn't show. It looks like a regular one size fits all rehab program (inc light weights and isolation) but the key is the strap-stretch thing. What does the stretch look like and where does the strap go?

[rjgrigaitis]

How and where exactly does the strap go, the site doesn't show. What does the stretch look like and where does the strap go?

I don't know what "stretch" you're talking about, but the traction part attaches just below the knee and on the wrist, and you only wear it at night.

[JC]

So it just pulls your wrist towards your knee? Is there any specific sleeping position, or anything else like that? Is it just a regular r/c rehab program with traction added? Is the strap elasticated or adjustable or anything or something more structured and rigid (in terms of how flexible it is to tossing and turning and general movements - does it give an equal pull regardless of positioning once attatched or do you have to stay pretty still?)

I'm just trying to get a feel for the 'secret ingredient' and how the magic works... i'm sceptical of stuff like this (especially stuff with 100% and clinical trials in the same sentence), and the rotator cuff is a complicated matter with several potential problems, so for them all to be dealt with by one simple (and expensive) solution doesn't ring true to me yet. The vaugeness of the promo stuff doesn't inspire confidence either, just a similarity to some snake oil salesmanship.

I'm not doubting you or your results, but the whole thing seems sketchy to me. I do have a rotator cuff issue and would like to see it resolved permanantly, but from what i know this product doesn't add up to anything i'd throw money at yet.

[grichens]

...I'm just trying to get a feel for the 'secret ingredient' and how the magic works....

There's more detail on the device at the "Elite FTS" link on RJ's blog. It seems simple enough - traction plus ROM exercises. However with a little innovation one should not need to lay out $130 for the pittance of hardware that the package contains.

I'm 57 years old and receiving physiotherapy for pain in my left shoulder, which is at its worst during presses (bench & overhead) but is also there during minor tasks, such as reaching overhead.

The Rotato's traction component intrigued me so I cobbled together my own device using what I had laying around - an old ankle cuff (for around my wrist) and a length of light surgical rubber band - the other end of which I attach to either a stationery object or a weight belt fashioned around my thigh.

My initial observations are encouraging, but bear in mind that I am also undergoing physiotherapy. However I do notice some subsidence of pain immediately after 1/2 hour or more of traction. I'll follow up with another post in a couple of weeks if I believe there's a significant and lasting improvement.

I don't think much of the exercises though except for the last one which can be done with a light dumbbell.

[JC]

Well in the name of fairness i've been sitting on my hand when i watch tv of an evening. No noticeable effect as yet!

I do keep thinking of knocking up some webbing strap or bungee cord based contraption for when i've nowt to do (aforementioned watching tv time) but haven't been arsed to do it.

[grichens]

Well in the name of fairness i've been sitting on my hand when i watch tv of an evening. No noticeable effect as yet!

YMMV, but if you are able to sit on your bicep it would eliminate the needless involvement of your elbow and wrist joint, which I have found get irritated after awhile. I pressed a second ankle cuff into service so that the two combined can fit around my upper arm, leaving affected forearm and hand once again free to reach the Cheetos.

[JC]

I like the optimistic 'if' that someone might be able to manage it somewhere

[grichens]

After receiving physiotherapy and using the cuff/rubber band combo for a couple of weeks, it became fairly obvious that whatever was bothering my shoulder was not responding as hoped. An MRI turned up a small shopping list of complaints in my left shoulder:
- A minor SLAP lesion,
- A near-full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus,
- A small acromion spur,
- An inflamed cyst

I’ll be having an orthopod take care these of in a few weeks, which is good. I believe that the supraspinatus tear and the bone spur have been around for a long time, which have in turn been limiting my external rotation and making the LBBS tough to get into. In the meantime, I am still using the traction cuff for part of the night, partly because it relieves some of the discomfort and partly because the restraint prevents me from turning onto the affected shoulder in my sleep and aggravating it – which I recall the good doctor mentioned in one of his videos.

To state the bleeping obvious, the usefulness of a traction device (and the exercises) depend on what is wrong with one’s shoulder in the first place. And since I require surgery it’s also obvious that I am not qualified to comment on the ability of the Rotatoreliever (or similar device) to rehabilitate a minor shoulder injury. But it was nonetheless a worthwhile exercise for me to see if a more conservative treatment did the trick before going to the trouble of undertaking an MRI.

[Meshuggah]

Partial Get Ups have been the key to making my shoulders healthy again.
I use Kettlebells, but you could also use a Dumbbell.