A shoulder injury can significantly affect your ability to conduct activities of daily living, such as brushing your teeth, feeding yourself, and driving. And if your job requires lifting heavy items or operating equipment, the cause for concern is magnified. This is often the case with rotator cuff injuries.
What is a Rotator Cuff Injury?
The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint consisting of the humerus (the upper arm bone, which has a “ball” at the top end) and the scapula (which houses the “socket”). It’s held together by muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which join to form the rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff stabilizes the shoulder and allows us to move our arms. Injuries to this group of muscles, tendons, and ligaments can be either partial tears (the muscle or ligaments have a fissure) or complete tears (the soft tissue is ripped all the way through).
Rotator Cuff Injury Symptoms
Depending on the severity of the injury, the patient may experience a dull ache, or more disruptive symptoms of a rotator cuff injury, such as:
- Persistent, nagging shoulder pain while performing daily activities
- Diminished range of motion
- Arm weakness
- Pain increases with activity
- Pain radiates down the arm
- Clicking sound when lifting the arm
- Difficulty lifting the arm
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Pain that gets worse at night
- Pain that worsens with time
What causes rotator cuff injuries?
Rotator cuff injuries are the result of either trauma or repetitive movement. It often affects people with jobs that require constant heavy lifting, such as construction workers; or athletes whose sport requires continuous lifting of the arms, such as a tennis player or a baseball pitcher.
Rotator Cuff Injuries Risk Factors
Additional risk factors include:
- Age: This type of injury happens more frequently in people over 40 years of age
- Previous rotator cuff injury
- Shoulder arthritis
How to Diagnose a Rotator Cuff Injury
If you’re experiencing symptoms of a rotator cuff injury, your physician will do a physical examination of your shoulder by testing your range of motion. If a tear is suspected, the doctor will likely order X-rays or an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
Rotator Cuff Injury Treatment
Treatment starts in a conservative manner: Physical therapy is helpful in regaining muscle strength and most people recover from injury this way. However, your doctor may also recommend anti-inflammatory medications and cortisone injections. As a last resort, the doctor may discuss surgery if there is no considerable improvement after consistent conservative treatment.
Home Remedies for Rotator Cuff Injuries
Home remedies for treating pain and discomfort associated with a rotator cuff injury include the RICE method: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. When applying ice, do so for 10 minutes at a time and compress with an elastic bandage.
Stretching exercises will help preserve your range of motion. It is important to note that you should only do these exercises if your medical provider has cleared you to do so.
Rotator Cuff Injury Complications
While some people prefer to power through the pain, getting treatment for a rotator cuff injury is crucial. Failing to do so could result in frozen shoulder, permanent loss of full range of motion, or degeneration of soft tissue around the shoulder joint.
How to Prevent Rotator Cuff Injuries
The best way to prevent this type of injury is to strengthen the rotator cuff. If you’ve previously had a rotator cuff tear, consult with your physical therapist for specific exercises. Other measures include good posture and using free weights to strengthen your shoulders.
Request an Appointment at The Orthopedic Clinic Today
At The Orthopedic Clinic, we want you to live your life in full motion. If you’re experiencing symptoms related to a rotator cuff injury, let us help you. We’ll tailor a treatment plan that’s best for your lifestyle and get you back to doing the things you love.
Call us at (386) 255-4596 to schedule an appointment.