Rotator Cuff

The rotator cuff tendons are one of the key reasons that the shoulder is so useful. The tendons can be subject to a considerable amount of wear and tear, or degeneration, as we use our arms, especially overhead activities. This wear and tear can lead to weakening of the rotator cuff tendons, through a condition know as impingement.

The rotator cuff tendons are also subject to degeneration as we age. An injury to these tendons can result in a weak painful, shoulder - due to tearing of the rotator cuff tendons.

Rotator cuff tears usually occur through areas of the tendon that were not normal to begin with and have been weakened by degeneration and impingement. The weakened rotator cuff tendons can be injured, and torn, by an excessive force, such as trying to catch a falling heavy object, or lifting an extremely heavy object with the arm extended. This can occur even in a young person. Typically a rotator cuff tear occurs in a late middle-aged person who has been having problems with the shoulder for some time before the acute event. That person starts a lifting activity which exceeds the strength of the tendons, and the tendon tears acutely, leaving an inability to raise the arm. There may, or may not, be pain associated with the event.

Rotator cuff tears cause two main problems - pain and weakness. In some cases, a rotator cuff may be only a partial tear of the tendons, and you may have pain but can continue to move the arm in a normal range of motion. In other cases, a complete rupture of the tendons occurs, and you are unable to move the arm in a normal range of motion. A complete rotator cuff tear usually results in an inability to raise tha arm away from the side under your own power. Most rotator cuff tears cause a vague pain in the shoulder area, and may result in a "catching" sensation when the arm is moved. The larger the tear in the tendon, the more weakness there is when trying to move the arm. Most people report an inability to sleep on the affected side, due to pain.