sustaining joint health

i had an initial assessment with my physical therapist, teresa, last week.  after i had described the traction injury i incurred while climbing, she tested my strength (right versus left arm), she watched my neck and shoulders anteriorly as i articulated my head up, down, left, and right, and she watched my scapula posteriorly as i articulated my arms up and down.  after these brief assessments, teresa determined that i had most likely stretched my shoulder ligaments as well as the nerve running through my armpit.  all of these fibers have plausibly regenerated and are prepared to perform routine shoulder movement, but they are not functioning in synchrony.  for ten days i have "retrained" my arm to work as it should.  

i pull my scapula down and back so it is flat against my back and close to my spine.  then i row, extend to hip, and extend out to side.  i do these exercises without weights; i am simply training my arm to operate in the proper sequence to function efficiently.  after this sequence training, i will start to weight train the muscles so they will support the joint, even at rest.  even though i am not using weights, my muscles are sore after i articulate them intentionally for 20 minutes.  imagine the flashing neon red or lightning bolts you see on indigestion commercials...

this morning i had my second appointment with teresa.  she saw an improvement in my scapula rotation; it was no longer "winging out" when i lift my arms above my head.  but there is still some instability, so i will start to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.  for the next three weeks, i will lift light weights and perform several weight bearing, balance exercises.  as i practiced each exercise in her office, she pointed out which muscles were being targeted - the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, serratus anterior, and trapezius.  i should try not to use my deltoids and latissimus dorsi.  it is easier to understand the basis of my physical therapy now that i understand the intricacies of the joints and muscles in the shoulder.