Your shoulders are the powerhouses of upper-body movement, enabling you to lift, reach, push, and pull—essential abilities for people in physically demanding roles like construction, delivery, or manufacturing. But they’re also susceptible to injury and wear and tear, much like athletes in sports like tennis or baseball who rely on the movement and power enabled by healthy rotator cuffs.
If you work in a manual labor role, you're not just a laborer—you’re an industrial athlete who deserves the same kind of training and attention to body mechanics as the pros. These tips and the support of Work-Fit’s industrial trainers can help you prevent injury and enjoy the physical tasks of your role.
Risk factors for rotator cuff tear
The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles and tendons in your shoulder joint. Its role is to stabilize the joint and assist with movements like lifting and rotating your arm. Over time, repetitive use or strain can lead to painful injuries like tears, strains, or inflammation (known as tendinitis).
If you’re a manual laborer, it’s important to understand the specific risk factors you face for shoulder injuries that can prevent you from working. The following activities can increase your likelihood of developing a rotator cuff injury over time:
- Repetitive shoulder motion: Do you lift overhead repeatedly to store materials, install components, or stack heavy objects? This repetitive motion can create wear and tear on your rotator cuff joint and muscles.
- Carrying heavy loads: Lifting and carrying significant weights—especially when not using proper lifting techniques—puts a lot of strain on your shoulder joints.
- Previous shoulder injuries: If you’ve previously injured your shoulder, you’re at a higher risk for future injuries, particularly if the muscle or ligament hasn’t fully healed.
- Overreaching: Reaching too far—whether forwards, backwards, or upwards—can stretch your shoulder beyond its range of motion and poses serious risks for tears or strains.
You can’t avoid repetitive tasks in most jobs, but reaching, lifting, or using your shoulder repetitively with improper techniques are preventable risk factors. Learning proper lifting mechanics and reaching motions is key to keeping your rotator cuff strong and avoiding the need for expensive and disruptive rotator cuff surgery.
How to protect your rotator cuff when reaching
A lot of workers will quickly find out what lifting or reaching techniques are or aren’t good for their health when they have been in a job for a long time and have started to feel conditions like arthritis or injury crop up. No matter how long you’ve been working, it’s always a good time to learn the right way to lift and reach to protect your shoulders in the long-term.
- Point your elbows downward: When possible, maintain an elbow position that points downward instead of flaring out. This orientation helps engage stronger muscles, such as the pectorals and triceps, to support your task.
- Keep your hands in your peripheral vision: Avoid overextending your arms beyond your range of vision. Reaching too high, low, or wide forces your rotator cuff to work harder than it should, increasing the risk of injury.
- Use your body wisely: Avoid twisting or bending unnaturally. Step closer to the object you’re reaching for or use a stable surface to elevate yourself, reducing the strain on your arms and shoulders.
- Avoid jerking movements: Sudden, sharp movements are a common cause of rotator cuff tears. Keep motions slow and controlled, especially when lifting or lowering heavy objects.
Rotator cuff exercises
Strengthening your rotator cuff and resetting your posture with proper exercise are excellent ways to prevent injuries. Keep in mind that these exercises should be done for prevention. If you have pain, consult a healthcare provider first to avoid worsening any issues you may or may not be aware you have.
- Wipers
- Karate Chops
- W Squeezes
- Y Squeezes
These are a few ideas to help you warm up before working, get loose after a break, and generally strengthen the muscles throughout your shoulders to better manage loads and extensions.
Your integrated injury prevention experts
Preventing rotator cuff injuries requires more than just awareness—it takes a proactive approach to training workers like industrial athletes. At Work-Fit, we specialize in creating safer, healthier workplaces by bringing injury prevention programs directly to your job site.
Our experts work alongside your team, teaching proper body mechanics and personalized techniques to minimize injury risks. Whether you’re lifting heavy materials or tackling repetitive tasks, our goal is to keep you strong, healthy, and ready for every shift. Learn more about how we can help reduce the risk of injury and enhance job satisfaction by calling our team or contacting us online today.
