| The rotator cuff muscles hold the head of the long | | | | you pull your arm across your chest, and you will |
| bone of your upper arm tightly in the socket of your | | | | have difficulty raising your elbow over your shoulder. |
| shoulder. Sports that require moving the arm over | | | | An arthrogram is often not sensitive enough to |
| the head repeatedly can cause tearing and swelling of | | | | diagnose a partial tear of the rotator cuff but can |
| the tendons of these muscles. Baseball pitchers, | | | | show a complete tear.The treatment is to avoid any |
| swimmers, weight lifters and tennis players often | | | | motion that hurts and strengthen the uninjured |
| suffer this injury. Chronic irritation can cause pain, | | | | shoulder muscles. Do weight-lifting exercises that |
| swelling and tearing of the rotator cuff. If you | | | | bring the weights toward the body and do not hurt, |
| continue to exercise in spite of the pain, you will tear | | | | such as upright rows and downward "lat pulls". You |
| the tendons from their attachments.Initially, pain | | | | may need surgery if the rotator cuff tendons are |
| occurs only when you hold your arm over your head | | | | torn completely, or if the tendons do not heal within |
| and bring it down or forward forcibly. Later, it will | | | | one year.Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show |
| hurt when the arm is moved forward for any reason, | | | | host for 25 years and practicing physician for more |
| such as to shake hands. Usually, it hurts when you | | | | than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, |
| push things away and does not hurt when you pull | | | | including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds |
| objects toward you. A torn rotator cuff will cause | | | | of his fitness and health reports at weekly |
| tenderness over the tendons, especially when the | | | | newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition. |
| elbow is raised above the shoulder. It will hurt when | | | | |