How Do You Know You Are Having Rotator Cuff Problems

Overview

What is the rotator cuff?

The rotator cuff is a grouping of muscles and tendons in your shoulder. They help you lift and move your artillery away from your body. The rotator cuff keeps the ball of the upper arm bone (humerus) in the shoulder blade socket.

What is a rotator cuff tear?

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket articulation that's role of the skeletal organization. Information technology'due south like a golf game ball sitting on a golf tee. Rotator cuff tears occur when tendons pull abroad from the arm bone. A tear may result from overuse or another injury.

What are the types of rotator gage tears?

Types of torn rotator cuffs include:

Fractional: With an incomplete or fractional tear, the tendon still somewhat attaches to the arm bone.
Complete: With a full-thickness or complete tear, the tendon separates completely from the bone. There'due south a pigsty or rip in the tendon.

How common are rotator cuff tears?

More than two million Americans feel some type of rotator gage trouble every year. Rotator cuff tears affect people of all ages and genders, but the problem is more common in adults.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes a rotator cuff tear?

An accident, such equally a fall, can cause a cleaved collarbone or dislocated shoulder that tears the rotator gage.

More usually, rotator cuff tears occur over time as the tendon wears downwardly with age and use (degenerative tear). People over xl are most at run a risk.

Causes of degenerative tears include:

Os spurs: Bony growths tin can form on the tiptop of the shoulder os. These bone spurs rub against the tendon when you lift your arm. This shoulder impingement creates friction betwixt the bone and tendon. Eventually, a fractional or complete tear may occur.
Decreased blood flow: Blood flow to the rotator gage decreases as you lot get older. Your muscles and tendons need a good for you claret supply to repair themselves. If blood doesn't nourish the tendons, they can tear.
Overuse: Repetitive shoulder movements during sports or on the job can stress muscles and tendons, causing a tear.
What are risk factors for rotator gage tears?

Anyone can feel a rotator gage tear. These factors may increment your risk:

Family unit history of shoulder problems or rotator cuff injuries.
Poor posture.
Smoking.
Being age xl or older.

Degenerative tears are more mutual among people who practice the aforementioned repetitive shoulder movements, such as:

Carpenters.
Mechanics.
Painters.
Recreational and professional person athletes who play baseball, softball and tennis or are part of a rowing crew.

Exercise rotator cuff tears affect both shoulders?

Tears tend to occur on your dominant side, but tin can be on either side. Having a tear in one shoulder increases the likelihood of a tear in the opposite shoulder. You might not have shoulder pain on the opposite side, simply tests may betoken a tear. The contrary may besides be true: yous may accept a tear but take no pain or symptoms.

What are the symptoms of a rotator cuff tear?

Sudden tears from accidents cause immediate, intense shoulder pain and arm weakness. With degenerative tears, you may have balmy pain that improves with over-the-counter pain relievers. Over time, the pain gets worse, and hurting relievers don't help. Non everyone has pain, but most people have some degree of arm and shoulder weakness.

Signs of a rotator cuff tear include:

Difficulty and pain acquired by raising your arm.
Popping or clicking sounds or sensations when moving your arm.
Shoulder pain that worsens at night or when resting your arm.
Shoulder weakness and struggling to lift items.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is a rotator cuff tear diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider volition perform a physical exam to check for shoulder tenderness, range of motility and arm strength.

To confirm a diagnosis, y'all may go:

An X-ray to check for arthritis or bone spurs.
An MRI or ultrasound to look for tendon tears.

Management and Treatment

What are the complications of a rotator cuff tear?

A rotator cuff tear can get worse without handling. A complete tear can brand it virtually incommunicable to move your arm. Without treatment, you may have chronic shoulder pain and find it very difficult to use the injured arm.

What are nonsurgical treatments for rotator cuff tears?

Rotator cuff tears exercise not heal on their own without surgery, but many patients can improve functionally and decrease pain with nonsurgical handling by strengthening their shoulder muscles. Only because there is a tear, does not necessarily mean a surgery is needed. About eight out of x people with partial tears get better with nonsurgical treatments. It can take upwards to a year for the condition to improve.

Nonsurgical treatments include:

An arm sling and rest to give your shoulder time to heal. You may need to modify activities and end certain work or sports for a period of time.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to minimize pain and swelling.
Concrete therapy to larn strengthening and stretching exercises.
Steroid injections to ease pain and swelling.

What are the surgical treatments for rotator cuff tears?

Your healthcare provider may recommend surgery if you accept a consummate tear or nonsurgical treatments don't assistance a partial tear. Y'all may also have surgery if your job or athletic interests affect the shoulder.

Most rotator cuff surgeries take identify arthroscopically through modest incisions. The surgery is an outpatient process. You lot go home the same day, but the overall recovery after this surgery is very substantial and tin can take upwards to a year or more than.

Some tears are not repairable due to the size and/or age of the tear, and may necessitate reverse shoulder replacement, tendon transfer, or a debridement of scar tissue without repair.

During surgery, your healthcare provider:

Inserts an arthroscope (small camera) through a small incision in your shoulder.
Refers to images from the arthroscope to perform the procedure.
Inserts tiny instruments into pocket-sized incisions in your shoulder to remove bone spurs and reattach the tendon to the upper arm bone.

For a partial tear, your healthcare provider may only need to trim fraying pieces of a partially torn tendon. This debridement procedure keeps the shoulder ball and socket from communicable on the tendon and vehement information technology more than.

After surgery, you lot demand to wear a sling to immobilize your arm for four to six weeks. You can then showtime concrete therapy. Virtually people regain shoulder function and strength within 4 to six months after surgery, just full recovery may have upwards to 12-18 months.

Prevention

How can I prevent a rotator cuff tear?

To prevent a rotator cuff tear, it's of import to keep your muscles and tendons flexible. Your healthcare provider can teach yous stretching and strengthening exercises to practise at dwelling house.

Outlook / Prognosis

What is the prognosis (outlook) for people who have a rotator gage tear?

Most people encounter improvements with nonsurgical treatments. Recovery takes time because your body needs time to heal. Near people who accept surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff regain function.

Information technology's possible to tear the same tendon again, especially if the starting time tear was bigger than 1 inch. A re-tear that causes severe pain or loss of motility may require surgery.

Living With

When should I call my healthcare provider?

You should telephone call your healthcare provider if you experience:

Chronic shoulder and arm hurting.
Pain that worsens at night or interferes with sleep.
Redness, swelling, or tenderness in the shoulder joint area.
Shoulder or arm weakness.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

You lot may desire to inquire your healthcare provider:

What acquired the rotator gage tear?
What is the best treatment for me?
What tin I do to lower the risk of getting some other rotator cuff tear?
Should I look out for signs of complications?
Which signs of complications?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

If you lot work a very concrete job or you're an athlete, a rotator gage injury volition likely bench you lot, but it doesn't have to be the finish of your career. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best handling options, whether nonsurgical or surgical. Your shoulder may be weak and painful for a while, but it will eventually heal.

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Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8291-rotator-cuff-tears-overview