Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff [Paperback]

Jim Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2007

Based entirely on research from peer-reviewed journals and randomized controlled trials, Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff is a complete program to prevent and rehabilitate rotator cuff injuries for athletes and non-athletes alike. In less than 100 pages, readers will learn precisely how the rotator cuff works, what can go wrong with it, and then are guided step-by-step through an evidence-based program that takes just minutes a week to complete. Drawing from the latest rotator cuff research, Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff will be especially useful for those who have been diagnosed with either a partial or full-thickness rotator cuff tear, experience shoulder pain, do upper body weight lifting, play a sport or have a job that involves repeated arm motions above shoulder level, have been diagnosed with "impingement syndrome," or for anyone simply wanting a healthy and properly functioning rotator cuff.

Also by this author:  Treat Your Own Knee Arthritis, Treat Your Own Spinal Stenosis, and Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Rotator cuff exercises aren't just for people with rotator cuff tears.  In fact, rotator cuff exercises are a highly effective way to treat many kinds of shoulder problems.

    A good example of this is a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Physical Therapy.  Researchers took sixty-six patients complaining of shoulder pain and aimed to get them better by improving the function of their rotator cuff muscles (Ginn 1997).

    Patients in the study were excluded if their pain was in both shoulders, due to an inflammatory disorder or cancer, coming from the back, or because of an accident. Past that, it really didn’t matter what the cause of the shoulder pain was in order for a patient to be included in the study- and in fact, some patients even had no diagnosis, meaning that the cause of their shoulder pain was unknown!

    Now here’s a few of the known diagnoses that patients DID walk into the study with:

• tendinitis
• rotator cuff tear
• frozen shoulder
• osteoarthritis
• A/C joint problem
• biceps muscle tear

    Typical of a randomized controlled trial, patients were put into either a treatment group or a control group. When reassessed one month later, follow-up results revealed that those who had restored the function of their rotator cuff muscles could move their shoulders with less pain, were more independent with daily personal care, and had a greater reduction in their shoulder symptoms. In stark contrast, the control group, which sat on a waiting list for a month without any treatment, got worse.

    According to the results of this randomized controlled trial, improving shoulder function by treating the rotator cuff muscles is a very effective way to fight shoulder pain, even in cases where the cause is NOT obvious.  And perhaps best of all, you won't need a hundred different exercises to get better.  A good set of rotator cuff exercises done properly can be easily completed in just a few minutes each day.

About the Author

Jim Johnson, P.T. is a physical therapist who has spent over nineteen years treating both inpatients and outpatients with a wide range of pain and mobility problems. He has written many books based completely on published research and controlled trials including Treat Your Own Knees, The Sixty-Second Motivator, The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution, Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World, Exercise Beats Depression, Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow and Treat Your Own Spinal Stenosis. His books have been translated into other languages and thousands of copies have been sold worldwide. Besides working full-time as a clinician in a large teaching hospital and writing books, Jim Johnson is a certified Clinical Instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association and enjoys teaching physical therapy students from all over the United States

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC; 1 edition (January 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598582062
• ISBN-13: 978-1598582062
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Pilates
  • #12 in Books > Medical Books > Allied Health Professions > Chiropractic
  • #44 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Chronic Pain

More About the Author

Unlike a lot of self-help books you come across, the ones I write have been scientifically proven to work. By "proven", I mean that the treatment strategies discussed have been shown to be effective in one or more randomized controlled trials. The randomized controlled trial offers the highest form of proof in medicine that a treatment actually works.

After 20 years in medical field, I can say that it has been very rewarding work for me. Books are just another way I can help people get the proper care they need to get better.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is worth $300.00, December 28, 2009

By 

Stilt Wiltafacation (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff (Paperback)

I could have saved over $1500 in doctor and physical therapy bills had I read this book after the first Dr visit. If you have shoulder pain, please don't hesitate, buy this book! I now have an immense respect for Jim Johnson.

After 5 months of little progress, I finally found this book and about 6 weeks later I'm back to all my normal sports, full tilt.

The research on strength building and stretching in general was mind blowing! Wow, how could this information be so hidden? Unfortunately, too many people profit from non-health.

JJ will show you the absolute fastest and most efficient way to fix your shoulder. By all means, get several opinions before getting surgery. Both doctors left surgery on the table when my tear was very minor.

Yes, they do not want you to read this book!

Jim, if you're reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart! You are a great man.

P.S. Even if you never had any back issues, buy his back book. After you build up core strength in your back (2 minutes, 3 times a week, yes, really) then you only need to do it once a week to maintain that strength. And no stretching needed. A small price to pay to avoid back pain.

131 of 145 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well, it worked, July 31, 2008

By 

S. Marsh (Dreamlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff (Paperback)

I hurt my rotator cuffs doing some bag work. I waited a long time (I'm a guy) to go into an ortho. He gave me the advice to work on my posture, lose weight and a photocopy of some exercises to do. Told me that how I injured myself didn't matter, fixing it was what counted. Well, posture and losing weight solved that problem.

Had a completely different feeling problem. Went back after eight months of worsening pain. Same diagnosis, they told me it was "referred pain" which was why it felt completely different. Same exercises. You can find them all over the internet.

Didn't do much for me. I slowly got more or less better on my own. But, I had nagging pain every morning, the exercises and stretches did nothing for me.

Rather than go back, I decided to try this book first, based on recommendations from a friend I followed up.

First, the explanations aside, the core of the book is short. You are only going to do about four exercises and four stretches at any one time. There are routines for severe to very mild problems (beginning to advanced).

Second, the explanations made sense and I've been able to apply them to a few other areas.

But, it has been less than a month and I'm waking up pain free from time to time, the first time in a very long time.

Would I pay this much for a paperback? Not usually, but it was a lot better than blowing half a day off from work seeing the ortho sports med guy again. Would I buy a book when the internet is swimming with essays, charts, etc.?

Well, but for the fact it works and the free stuff didn't, no. But the free stuff doesn't quite put it all together the way this does and it didn't quite do the trick.

If you've got pain, if your doctor's routines haven't really done much for you, if the internet hasn't led you anywhere new, you might really want to try this book. It has details on how to do things, number of repetitions, how long to hold the stretches, etc.

Simple? Yes. Five to ten minutes a day simple, but just the right five to ten minutes a day have made all the difference for me.

65 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, Effective and to the Point, March 28, 2008

By 

K. Robinson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff (Paperback)

I found Jim Johnson's book to contain an amazing amount of information in a relatively short read. There are several very good reviews that detail what he covers in this book so I'll stick to points not covered by the other reviews.

First, yes, it is a small book. This is actually a bonus because he covers the pertinant material thoroughly but keeps the book to a size easily read in one sitting. This is important when you are looking for answers and not a lengthy read. I found illustrations and the text were all useful - there is no filler or fluff in this book.

Second - the stretches and exercises are explained in detail so you can be comfortable with the knowledge you are doing it right. So, as you follow one of the 3 programs laid out, you can refer back to the detailed descriptions and illustration as needed. If you are a picture person and not a verbal person, this is priceless to have on hand.

Third - the information on how to distinguish the different types of injuries and how to approach rehabilitation gave me insight to what was going on with my own injury that no professional I had taken this problem to have ever bothered to explain. Again, illustrations were to the point and provided clarity that words can't always deliver.

Last, I have sought medical advice with my shoulder problems off and on for years yet this book gave me more information in a 30 minute read than I had gotten in any consultation. This book is priced around $30 retail and that is far less than a doctor or physio visit.

Note that I am *NOT* saying to skip seeking medical advice, I am saying that this book gives you a ready reference to supplement your knowledge and to keep on hand while treating your injury. If you are like me, the shoulder problems you have will quite possibly reoccur as time goes by and you either quit doing the exercises and revert to bad habits or if you find a new way to injure yourself. So, having this book handy for reference is far more economical the returning to the doctor over and over again.