have any suggestions for dealing with a rotator cuff injury? I have been unable to bench press for 5 months.However, I am able to use dumbells because I don't come down as far. I don't think this injury will ever subside. Also, I have tendonitis in my other shoulder. Ice seems to help it a lot and it only bothers me doing shoulder exercises. Thanks for your help. Rock

First, if you haven't already, see a doctor regarding the bum shoulder. I'll assume here that this is a diagnosed (not self diagnosed) rotator cuff injury. There's all sorts of "stuff" in and around your shoulder joint... and it's all pretty fragile and prone to injury.

The standard recommendation for any injury is rest. However, this is much easier said than done. When continuing to exercise the key is to be honest with yourself in avoiding motions that further aggravate the injury. This usually involves skipping certain exercises and/or adjusting the range of mortion used and/or adjusting the weight and reps used. The only advice that I can give for this is to experiment with some different approaches and find what works best for you.

As for an approach to alleviating the problem, try to find a book called "The Seven Minute Rotator Cuff Solution". This details a series of simple exercises that strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder joint.

For the time being, keep finding ways to work around it. The idea is not to work through the injury... it's very important to stop whenever you feel discomfort in the joint. Also, using heat is a better idea for healing than using ice.

Andrew