| Have you ever experienced a dull ache or | | | | sign). The hallmark signs of a tear are |
| sharp pain in your shoulder or upper arm? | | | | nocturnal pain, loss of strength, and |
| Maybe you are unable to sleep on one side | | | | inability to raise the arm overhead.However, |
| because your shoulder wakes you up at night. | | | | acute tendonitis may also present with |
| Perhaps, you have discomfort reaching behind | | | | similar signs and symptoms, as pain can |
| your back to tuck in your shirt or grab your | | | | inhibit motion and strength. Yet, symptoms |
| wallet. If so, you may be suffering from a | | | | associated with tendonitis normally respond |
| rotator cuff injury.Rotator cuff injuries, | | | | to rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medication |
| such as tendonitis, bursitis and tears plague | | | | and therapeutic exercise.Rotator cuff tears |
| several people in our population. The | | | | are most common in men age 65 and older. |
| rotator cuff consists of four small muscles, | | | | Tears and/or injury are typically related to |
| which form a sleeve around the shoulder and | | | | degeneration, instability, bone spurs, |
| allow us to raise our arm overhead | | | | trauma, overuse and diminished strength |
| effectively. These muscles, consisting of | | | | flexibility related to the aging process. |
| the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor | | | | However, youth are also at risk for injury if |
| and subscapularis, oppose the action of the | | | | they are involved in repetitive overhead |
| deltoid and depress the head of the humerus | | | | sports, including swimming, volleyball, |
| (upper arm) during shoulder elevation to | | | | baseball, softball, tennis, gymnastics, |
| prevent impingement.The most commonly injured | | | | etc.Many people can function adequately with |
| muscle is the supraspinatus. It is | | | | a torn rotator cuff provided they have a low |
| responsible for initiating and aiding in | | | | to moderate pain level. The primary reason |
| elevation of the arm. If torn, the | | | | for performing rotator cuff surgery is to |
| individual typically experiences persistent | | | | alleviate pain rather than to restore |
| pain in the upper lateral arm and significant | | | | function. It is common for post surgical |
| difficulty raising the arm without | | | | patients to lose some mobility/range of |
| compensatory motion from the scapula (shrug | | | | motion. |