European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your health shoulder Strain new techniques for treating injuries by Janet Nelson new York times just As the knee was the joint of the 1970s and 1980s in sports injury circles the shoulder promises to be the joint of the 1990s, in response to the demand from professional and recreational athletes doctors therapists and trainers have been working on new techniques to repair and rehabilitate shoulder joints after injury most of the significant new findings Center on the rotator cuff a frequently neglected and often misunderstood group of Muscles and tendons that lie beneath the deltoid muscle. The four rotator cuff Muscles surround the shoulder joint providing a steadying effect on the head of the humerus the Long upper Arm Bone. In the past the rotator cuff gained notoriety among athletes because injury to the area ended Many careers. Steve Carlton a Star Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies for instance tried a comeback after surgery five years ago but did t make it. More recently the golfer Lou Graham survived rotator cuff surgery and is again playing on the pea tour. Quot the techniques of the operations have improved Quot said or. Chick Silberstein a Baltimore Ortho Peist who operated on the Tennis pro Pam Shriver for a related shoulder ailment that was not specifically a rotator cuff injury Quot but Many people still done to come Back to pre injury functioning level. The improvements in rehabilitation techniques help a lot and in some cases exercising May even prevent the need for an  or. Steven of Brien attending surgeon at the Hospital for special surgery in new York estimates that about 50 percent of rotator cuff tears require surgery Quot if the rotator cuff is torn it does not heal itself Quot he said. Quot however if a tear is not too big other Muscles can compensate if they Are strengthened through  much of the credit for the development of exercises for the shoulder and rotator cuff goes to the biomechanics Laboratory of cent Inela Hospital medical Center in Inglewood calif., which in 1982 began research into the mechanics of How pitchers use this muscle group when throwing a baseball. They extended the research to Golf and currently Tennis players and swimmers Are under scrutiny. Athletes in these four sports Are particularly prone to rotator cuff injuries because of the strains applied to the shoulder joint during play. Quot instability is the big thing Quot said or. Lewis Yocum of the Kerlan Jobe orthopaedic clinic in Inglewood who has been associated with the work at cent Inela. Quot this is because the Muscles Are weak or imbalanced from front to Back. Typically a golfer will try to cram four rounds into a weekend after not playing for two or three weeks and injures his rotator cuff in the  the injury May be overuse syndrome or an actual muscle tear. Pain is usually Felt around the shoulder but it can radiate Down the Side of the Arm As far As the Elbow. During the recuperation process physical therapists put patients through a series of stretching and strengthening exercises to regain Range of motion and stability. But prevention of rotator cuff injury is becoming More of a target for doctors and sports Medicine experts. Quot people who exercise Are usually More concerned with body definition and they work on the big Muscles Quot said Yocum. A but they should focus on the smaller Muscles like the rotator cuff too. Exercises for instance can give the weekend golfer More endurance and  the cent Inela Hospital exercises parallel those of the american sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham ala., which teaches physical therapists and trainers who with people after injuries and surgery. Kevin e. Wilk director of rehabilitative research at the sports Medl Institute recommends several Basic exercises to be3 strengthening the rotator cuff. For flexibility stretch the front and Back of the so put one Arm across your body under your Chin. Wilshi rotating your Torso push the Elbow with your other i move the Arm As far Back As possible. To loosen the front of your shoulders put both Ramji behind your Torso interlock your hands and slowly Ras your arms upward. For the underneath portion of Oil shoulder place one Arm Over your head with the Elbe Bent. Use your free hand to gently pull on the Bentas for All these exercises hold the positions for 15 to 20 seconds and repeat them three to five times. To strengthen the rotator Muscles you will Needal weight of 3 to 5 pounds. To strengthen the Back rot Albl Muscles ii on your Side., hold your Elbow against to ribs and Bent to 90 degrees. Slowly raise the weight is pointed to the ceiling then lower it slowly. To work on the front rotator Muscles lie of your bad and holding your Arm close to your Side with the Elb Bent 90 degrees slowly raise the weight until it Points the ceiling then lower it slowly. For the upper part of the rotator cuff hold a Weighter each hand and turn your hands until the thumbs Are pointed to the floor. From this position extend yours to a position about 30 degrees Forward and slowly raid them to shoulder level not beyond that height because this might aggravate the shoulder. Try to do each of these exercises 10 times and work up to three sets. For More information on rotator cuff exercises cent Inela Hospital publishes several books and has a videotape showing exercises. Exercises for athletes strengthening calf Muscles by Wendy Merullo Washington Post in the quest for stronger Chapelier legs the calf Muscles Are often ignored by american women in favor of building up the powerful thigh Muscles. But poorly developed calves fitness experts say can seriously affect performance in any exercise or sport. And that goes for male athletes too. Quot although the calves Are not the most powerful muscle group in the body they Are used constantly Quot said sue Thompson an exercise physiologist and fitness consultant in rolling Meadows Iii. In walking running or jumping it is usually the calf Muscles that work the hardest. They help to keep the body from falling Forward. The calves a located on the Back of the lower leg a Are made up of two major muscle groups a the Gastrocnemius and the soles. The Gastrocnemius which visibly contracts when a person stands on tiptoe starts behind the knee and makes up the Bulky part of the calf. The soles which lies directly under the Gastrocnemius helps to form the Achilles Tendon. Weak calf Muscles can also contribute to a common exercise complaint a leg cramps. Quot when the muscle fatigues it contracts and starts to spasm Quot Thompson said. Quot it needs to be stretched out  people who Are deficient in potassium a a Mineral involved in the contraction of Muscles a or who fail to drink enough fluid during exercise Are More Likely than others to experience muscle cramps. To strengthen the Gastrocnemius Thompson recommends slowly rising up on the toes or Ball of the foot while standing a and repeating this several times for the soles do the same toe lift exercises while seated. This allows the Gastrocnemius to relax. To maintain muscle balance and help prevent Shin splints a tearing of muscle fibres exercise physiologists strongly suggest strengthening the Shin area As Well As the calves. Place a 5-Pound weight around the Ball of the foot and White seated lift the front part of the foot toward the Shin a recommends Louis a. Sorto a podiatrist in Chicago. Sorto suggests doing three sets of toe lifts with 15 to 30 repetitions per set. Strong calf Muscles can also Lead to a More Graceful looking and Well proportioned leg. Quot people who want to improve the shape of their legs Quot said Thompson Quot done to realize that if they build up the calf Muscles the whole Lea including the thigh will look  r i Caff Muscles work the hardest