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Rotator Cuff Tear - What caused yours? and What's Best For It?

By: Nick Bryant

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The rotator cuff is the name for a group of four muscles that help to keep the top of the arm in place in the shoulder joint. If we didn't have them you would find your shoulder joint dislocating each time that each time that you raised yoru arm. All these muscles connect to the scapula or shoulder blade at one end and the humerus or upper arm bone at the other and surround the shoulder forming a cuff of muscle around the shoulder joint, hence the name.

A rotator cuff tear is a tear in one or more of these muscles either through wear and tear or a knock or fall. One comparison I have heard is that of comparing the tendons of the cuff to a car tow rope. If you try pulling something that is too heavy the rope will snap or tear and if you have been using the same tow rope for several years it can start to fray through overuse.

Cuff Tears often come about through a sudden trauma. If, for example, you fall and put your arm out to catch yourself the sudden load can tear the muscle. Lifting something that is too heavy could have the same effect but would cause a different type of damage as the load is likely to be added more slowly. The tendons and muscles can also just wear out through repeated use either through age or because a work or leisure activity over uses the muscle. Anyone who throws a baseball repeatedly is putting strain on these muscles. Any repetitive overhead action like painting can have teh same effect.

A tear in the rotator cuff has specific symptom such as weakness in the arm, pain when doing certain movements, especially reaching up or behind you. The test for a rotator cuff tear will usually involve getting someone to gently push against the doctor's hand whilst mimicking these movements; this will usually result in pain confirming the diagnosis.

Treatment can vary depending on the age of the person and the severity of the tear. Small or short tears are easier to repair and will probably only need anti-inflammatory drugs and gentle shoulder specific exercise, whilst larger tears may involve corrective surgery to repair the tear or free up space for the inflamed muscle to move more easily eliminating pain altogether or limiting it.

The younger you are when you have surgery the greater the success rate. As you age the success rate of shoulder surgery can drop to around 60%. It is sometimes worth thinking about what you see as a successful outcome. Obviously, if you are a keen sportsperson the ideal outcome would be a return to full fitness. On the other hand, if you lead a fairly placid lifestyle the aim may be to be able to carry out certain tasks and movements pain free.

Rotator cuff tears come in all shapes and sizes and consequently can vary quite considerably in terms of prognosis and treatment. Physical Therapy will be involved in any treatment but it needs to be rotator cuff specific exercises aimed at exercising and strengthening the group of muscles without making things worse.

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If you want to know how rotator cuff surgery can be avoidedthrough exercise check out my story at my blog www.myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com

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