What Is a Rotator Cuff Tear in a Shoulder?

The rotator cuff is an area in the shoulder which gives the joint the leverage necessary to move and flex. When this area is injured, it can cause severe pain and lack of mobility in the injured patient.

Significance

• The rotator cuff helps to lift and rotate the arm and also serves as a stabilizer for the entire shoulder area. It is made up of a combination of four different muscles and tendons. When this area is injured, it severely limits the mobility of the shoulder and can cause great pain and distress. Without proper treatment, the injury can become chronic and can even disabling.

Types

• People will often injure their rotator cuff in a traumatic injury, but will not know it right away. They will experience several months of shoulder pain that gets worse with time. The other kind of rotator cuff injury is from repetitive movements. This type of injury typically happens to athletes or people whose work includes physical labor that requires the swinging of the shoulder joint over and over again. Most rotator cuff injuries occur in people over 40.

Considerations

• Most people assume that if they rest an injury it will get better. This is not necessarily the case with a torn rotator cuff. If you suspect you may have injured your shoulder, it is best to seek the aid of an orthopedic doctor. Only with a proper diagnosis can you be put on the road to a full recovery. If you find you have chronic pain or an inability to lift your shoulder, or support it against stress, then you need to see a doctor. Ignoring it can cause permanent damage, and may limit your mobility for the rest of your life.

Types

• There are different levels of severity in a torn rotator cuff injury. A mild tear may be treated with rest, physical therapy, ice and various exercises. A severe tear will require surgical treatment. The only way to determine what kind of injury you have is to have an MRI and an X-ray to see the extent of the damage.

Non-Surgical Treatment

• Once an MRI has determined the extent of the injury, and if the physician feels like a non-surgical treatment will suffice, the patient may be given the following options: use of a sling, rest and non-use of lifting the arm, anti-inflammatory medicine, physical therapy and injections of steroids into the joint. These may be enough to heal the damage and recover complete use of the shoulder.

Surgical Treatment

• Most rotator cuff surgeries can be done on an outpatient basis now, and are done arthroscopically, which causes minimal pain and loss of use. If the injury is bad enough that non-surgical treatment does not fix the problem, or if the shoulder injured is in the dominant arm of the person, or if the person depends on physically using their arms for their living, then surgery is the best option. The surgeon can fix almost all the issues within a short time, and the prognosis for a fast and complete recovery is excellent.