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The History of Rotator Cuff Disease

Knowledge about rotator cuff injuries dates to 1834, when this injury was described as a "rupture of the rotator cuff tendon." The work of other authors has since led to a better characterization of this degenerative condition.

  1. What Are Rotator Cuff Injuries?

    • Rotator cuff injuries occur when the four tendons stablizing the shoulder joint are damaged and cause severe shoulder pain.

    Early Identification

    • In 1834, Dr. Adam Smith wrote that the shoulder pain is caused by a rupture of tendons in the rotator cuff, although the mechanism that leads to degeneration of the cuff is still the subject of debate.

    Theories/Speculation

    • In 1934, E. A. Codman argued that the articular side of the tendon is where most tears occur. Many authors have agreed with this theory because it has been supported by cadaver, surgery, and MRI studies.

    Cause

    • The term impingement syndrome became popular after 1972, when Dr. Charles S. Neer proposed that impingement was the cause of chronic shoulder pain. Neer believed that 95 percent of rotator cuff tears started with impingement wear, instead of trauma or circulatory impairment.

    Anterointernal Impingement

    • In 1985, based on studies from CT scans and surgery observations, Dr. Christian Gerber identified the anterointernal impingement syndrome, in which the impingement occurs in an area called the subcoracoid space or in the coracohumeral interval.

    Posteriosuperior Impingement

    • In 1991, Dr. R. P. Welch and colleagues described the posterosuperior impingement syndrome, where impingement occurs between the articular side of the supraspinatus tendon and the posterosuperior edge of the glenoid cavity.

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