Rotator Cuff Injury -- When You Have a Torn Rotator Cuff

A rotator cuff injury is a shoulder injury where a tear or a strain in the rotator cuff muscles

and tendons occurs. This is a common injury for body builders and professional athletes. A closer look at the anatomy of the shoulder will reveal bones, tendons and muscles, which all work together to give you a wide range of motion for your arms. The shoulder is prone to injury, and injury to the rotator cuff is the most common source of shoulder pain.

The shoulder is made of 4 muscles and tendons and 3 bones. The bones are called the scapula or shoulder blade, the humerus or upper arm bone, and the clavicle or the collarbone. The shoulder joint is made of rotator cuff muscles and tendons, which connect the bones and muscles to create movement.

Primary Causes of a Rotator Cuff Injury

Degeneration due to aging or overuse is one major cause of most shoulder injuries. This simply means general wear and tear. The repeated stress to the shoulder muscles may result in injury or tear of the rotator cuff. That is why this is also common among the elderly as their physical health condition deteriorates over time.

The second major cause of shoulder muscle injury is due to repeated trauma or excessive force. If you put too much strain on your shoulder muscle, you may experience partial rotator cuff tears or severe injury. This may result from lifting a heavy object or a forceful impact to your arm and shoulder. Traumatic injuries such as falling and landing on your shoulder or overuse of the muscles in sports can cause rotator cuff injury. When you make repetitive overhead motions, it can stress the rotator cuff; thus, resulting in muscle fatigue and injury.

Symptoms

The most common symptom of this type of injury is shoulder pain. It can occur gradually like in a chronic shoulder pain. The pain may increase over time or it may be felt immediately or a day after the actual event that may have caused the injury. For professional athletes or body builders, it can even be a sudden pain felt between the front and side of the shoulder. Stretching your arms away from the body may increase the pain. Other symptoms such as difficulty in making overhead motions may also be caused by shoulder muscle injury. The larger the tear in your rotator cuff muscles, the more difficult it will be to move your arm or even your elbow and shoulders.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of a rotator cuff muscle injury is usually based on a physical examination of the patient and the symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (or MRI) and ultrasound are also helpful. They may show tears in between rotator cuffs and the humeral head, or how large any tear on your cuffs may be. An examination of the shoulder or tender area for any deformity may be done by the doctor, too.

Since an injury to the shoulders is slow to heal because it is made of tendons and receives a small amount of blood supply, an early diagnosis is your best bet.

Treatment

Non-Surgical – At the onset of injury, the patient is often treated with non-surgical or non- operative treatments such as anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medications, rest, and exercise.

 Surgery – Traumatic shoulder injuries are often treated by surgery. This may be the solution if the non-surgical options do not relieve your shoulder pain, or if you immediately need full use of your arm like in professional sports.

Rehabilitation – After your surgery, the arm will be immobilized to allow for healing. Exercise programs and physical therapy will help regain strength and motion in the shoulder. Recovery may take several months, depending on the severity of the tear.

Massage – During rehabilitation or while healing, a massage will do wonders to increase blood supply in your injured shoulder. Just make sure that your attendant is well-versed in sports medicine or has medical background to avoid further rotator cuff injury.