Rotator Cuff Muscles
Your rotator cuff muscles are located in your shoulder joint the function to:
- Rotate the shoulder joint
- stabilize and move the shoulder
- hold your humerus bone in the socket
- Tendons form around the upper and back part of the shoulder joint
There are 4 Rotator cuff muscles, a common acronym to remember them by is SITS.
S- Supraspinatus is at the top it responsible for abduction (medial delt)
I- Infraspinatus is at the back and is an external rotator of the joint
T -Teres Minor like the inraspinatus is at the back and is also an external rotator of the joint
S – Subscapularis is an internal rotator of the joint found at the front
Supraspinatus helps abduct and stabilizes the head of your humerus bone in the socket
Infraspinatus and Teres Minor are external rotators of the shoulder and work to stabilize the joint
Subscapularis is an internal rotator and controls adduction of your shoulder as well as stabilizes the joint.
Often times people feel shoulder pain when impingement occurs. This happens when the the shoulder is abducted in internal rotation. The humerous contacts the acromion process, pinches the tendons and they may fray and become inflamed.
