Treatment will depend on your symptoms, age, and general health. It'll also depend on how severe the condition is. Skip to content. Rotator Cuff Injury Not what you're looking for? Start New Search. What is a rotator cuff injury? What causes a rotator cuff injury? What are the symptoms of rotator cuff tear?
Symptoms may include: Pain that keeps coming back, especially when doing certain things, such as lifting over your head Pain that prevents you from sleeping on your injured side Grating or cracking sounds when moving your arm Limited ability to move your arm Muscle weakness The symptoms of a rotator cuff tear may be caused by other conditions or health problems.
How is a rotator cuff injury diagnosed? You may also have diagnostic tests, such as: X-ray. This test uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to make images of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film. This test uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to make detailed images of organs and structures within the body.
How is a rotator cuff injury treated? When should I call my healthcare provider? Key points about rotator cuff injury Your rotator cuff is one of the most important parts of your shoulder. Research estimates that conservative treatment is effective in 73 to 80 percent of cases of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Most people regain their range of motion and strength after 4 to 6 months.
If symptoms persist or worsen, your doctor may recommend surgery. Your doctor will also prescribe surgery for severe shoulder injuries. Discuss with your doctor which type of surgery is best for your particular injury.
Options include:. Recovery times from surgery vary depending on the type of surgery and extent of your injury.
In some cases, healing can take up to 2 years , but most people are back to their normal activities and recover much sooner than that. Most surgical repairs are successful. Talk with your doctor about ways to increase a good outcome. For example, if you smoke, this will involve quitting.
People who smoke are more likely to have a poorer surgical outcome. Treating rotator cuff injuries early can save you from increasing pain and the inability to use your arm and shoulder in daily activities. The ball-and-socket structure of your shoulder and arm is an intricate arrangement of muscles, tendons, and bone. Injuries to the rotator cuff are common, but treatment is often successful. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that stabilize the shoulder.
When you injure your rotator cuff, you need to exercise it for full recovery. Without treatment, rotator cuff problems may lead to permanent loss of motion or weakness, and may result in progressive degeneration of the shoulder joint. Although resting your shoulder is necessary for your recovery, keeping your shoulder immobilized for a prolonged time can cause the connective tissue enclosing the joint to become thickened and tight frozen shoulder.
Exercises that involve pressing your arm against a wall can help strengthen the muscles that make up your rotator cuff. With your elbow at a degree angle, put the palm of your hand on the side of a wall or door frame that's in front of you A. Place a folded towel between your side and upper arm. Your goal is to keep the towel there as you press your palm against the wall or doorframe for several seconds.
For the second exercise, keep the towel in place not shown and shift your body so that you're standing next to a wall B. With your elbow at a degree angle, press your elbow and forearm against the wall for several seconds.
Repeat each exercise 10 times for five sets. If you are at risk of rotator cuff injuries or if you've had a rotator cuff injury in the past, daily shoulder strengthening exercises can help prevent future injury. Most people exercise the front muscles of the chest, shoulder and upper arm, but it is equally important to strengthen the muscles in the back of the shoulder and around the shoulder blade to optimize shoulder muscle balance.
Your doctor or a physical therapist can help you plan an exercise routine. Rotator cuff injury care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
The quality of the pain may range from a dull, aching sensation to sharp pain that moves down the upper arm when reaching overhead or sleeping on the affected side. Interestingly, the intensity of the pain does not necessarily correlate with the degree of the injury. Less commonly, rotator cuff pain may from result from a condition called rotator cuff tendinosis—when the tendons become frayed or worn down as a result of increasing age and overuse. The rotator cuff consists of four muscles supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis that surround your shoulder blade and attach to your upper arm humerus via their own tendon.
These four tendons converge to form a "cuff" or covering over the head of the humerus, allowing you to lift and rotate your arm. Issues with any one of these can cause rotator cuff pain. Sharp or aching pain and swelling from a rotator cuff tendinitis or tear are usually located over the front or lateral part of the shoulder and upper arm.
People often complain of difficulty performing activities such as combing their hair, clasping a bra behind their back, reaching behind their back, or sleeping on the affected shoulder. Throbbing pain at night is also common in individuals with a rotator cuff tendinitis or tear. For some people, the shoulder pain may awaken them from sleep.
In addition, it's not uncommon for the pain of a rotator cuff tendinitis or tear to be felt further down the arm from the shoulder. This has to do with the location of the nerves that pass by the deeper parts of the shoulder.
More specifically, with rotator cuff tears, deficits in strength are very common. For instance, many people noticed they have a hard time putting dishes away in upper cabinets or reaching into the refrigerator to lift a carton of milk. With both a rotator cuff tendinitis and tear, a person often experiences pain over the shoulder that worsens with activities, such as reaching overhead or throwing.
Like a rotator cuff tear, rotator cuff tendinosis does not always cause pain, especially early on in the disease course. If pain is present, it's often described as a dull, aching pain that worsens at night and with certain shoulder movements, like reaching out or behind the back.
Seek medical attention, as well, if your shoulder pain is associated with other unusual symptoms like trouble breathing, dizziness, or abdominal pain. Other signs that warrant a healthcare provider's visit include:. Rotator cuff issues may be anticipated possibilities for those who regularly engage in physical activity involving repetitive arm motion, like baseball pitchers, but may come as a surprise to many others for which such issues are also common.
Rotator cuff tendinitis is most common in young athletes and middle-age people. It occurs when a normal, healthy rotator cuff tendon is injured or inflamed, often as a result of a repetitive overhead activity for example, painting, tennis, swimming, baseball, volleyball, or weightlifting.
Certain chronic diseases are also associated with rotator cuff tendinitis. For example, diabetes and obesity may be a risk factor. A rotator cuff tear when the tendon is torn from the arm bone is found primarily in middle- to older-age individuals. A tear may be caused by trauma to the shoulder for example, a fall directly on the shoulder or direct blow to the shoulder , as well as chronic overuse of the rotator cuff muscles.
Obesity and smoking may also increase a person's chance of tearing their rotator cuff. Rotator cuff tendinosis—a condition whereby the rotator cuff tendon degenerates—occurs as a result of increasing age. As a result, when the tendons become stressed or injured, they do not recover or heal as well. These weakened or frayed tendons are then more vulnerable to inflammation and tearing.
Poor posture, smoking, repetitive overhead activity, and genes may also play a role in the development of rotator cuff tendinosis. After reviewing your medical history, if your primary care healthcare provider suspects a rotator cuff problem, they will perform a series of tests to evaluate the rotator cuff tendons. They will then order an imaging test of your shoulder if a rotator cuff tear is suspected. Several tests are used to evaluate the rotator cuff, some of which can be performed at home prior to your appointment.
If you are not comfortable, though, that's OK. Your healthcare provider will repeat these tests during your visit. A few of these at-home tests include:. Empty Can Test. The empty can test is used to assess the status of the supraspinatus, located on the upper part of your shoulder.
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