Rotator Cuff Injury Treatment

The rotator cuff is the area of your upper arm that is full of tendons and muscles. The rotator cuff keeps your arm in your shoulder socket. Basically, it attaches your arm to the rest of your body. Rotator cuff injuries can be a mild irritation of the group of muscles, or more serious tears to the tendons and muscles. This type of injury is common in people who play sports and use repetitive motions on the job. The type of treatment that your doctor recommends for your rotator cuff injury will depend on the severity of your pain.

Self-Care

• Some rotator cuff injuries are minor and do not require specific treatment other than what you can do at home to make yourself more comfortable, according to the Mayo Clinic. Self-care measures for rotator cuff strain and small tears include resting as much as possible. If you cannot take time off from work to rest, consider ways to adjust your schedule or duties. It's important that you give your shoulder time to heal from the repetitive movements you may be making that cause the rotator cuff injury in the first place. Icing the area can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain from a fresh injury. Using a heating pad can also help loosen up your shoulder muscles and make the injury less painful.

Pain Relievers

• Whether you are treating your rotator cuff injury at home on your own or you are under the care of a doctor, pain relievers can make you more comfortable during the healing process. NSAIDs, otherwise known as nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofen, achieve the dual tasks of relieving pain and reducing the inflammation within the muscles and tendons. Speak to your doctor if over-the-counter medications are not relieving your pain.

Steroid Treatments

• Larger tears in the rotator cuff may require more powerful drugs to provide pain relief and reduce swelling. Corticosteroid injections that deliver the drug right into the affected area may be an option if your body is not responding well enough to oral medications. Steroid injections of this kind are administered at your doctor's office by prescription only. Steroids are normally only used on a short-term basis to avoid serious side effects and complications to your health.

Surgical Repair

• Rotator cuff tears can be repaired through surgery if lifestyle changes, exercises and pain medications do not eliminate your pain and give you back your normal range of motion. Tears can be fixed through open surgery or an arthroscopic procedure. Arthroscopic surgery is less invasive than open procedures, and results in a quicker recovery period. People who have repeated problems with rotator cuff injuries may eventually need a shoulder replacement surgery called arthroplasty.

Physical Therapy

• Physical therapy is a treatment method for both patients who have had rotator cuff surgery and those who are trying to avoid a surgical procedure. Through therapy, you'll be given exercises designed to strengthen the shoulder muscles. Strengthening weak areas can help prevent further injury as well as serve as a treatment method.