What is a Rotator Cuff?
One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is the result of a torn rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made of four muscles. Their tendons (def.) form a “cuff” of tissue over the upper end of the arm bone (humerus) — the rounded “ball” at the top of the ball and socket joint. The space between the rotator cuff and the shoulder blade (scapula) (def.) is cushioned and lubricated by bursae (def.). The rotator cuff helps you move your arm in a circular fashion: • swimming • throwing a ball • lifting an item overhead • putting on a jacket. View an animation of a torn rotator cuff. One of these muscles (called the supraspinatus) rests on top of your shoulder. Its tendon travels under the shoulder blade, on the outside of the shoulder — a position that makes it vulnerable to injury. The injury can lead to inflammation of the tendon (tendinitis) or the nearby bursae (bursitis). Torn rotator cuffs also are associated with what is called shoulder impingement syndrome, a squeezing or pinching o
The rotator cuff is a series of four separate muscles in the shoulder joint that form tendons and insert onto the bone. The rotator cuff is made up of one muscle in the front of the shoulder as well as two muscles on top and one in the back. It’s really a combination of four separate muscles inside the shoulder joint. It is responsible for lifting the arm overhead and rotating the arm to the side. One commonly seen injury is a rotator cuff tear. What is that? A rotator cuff tear is an injury where the tendon/rotator cuff insertion tears from the bone. As a result of the tear from the bone rotator cuff tears do not have the potential to heal without intervention (surgery). Symptoms of rotator cuff tears include pain on the outer side of the arm and weakness in lifting the arm overhead. A common complaint of patients with rotator cuff tears is pain while trying to sleep at night. In that case, is surgery usually required to repair a rotator cuff tear? It typically is for rotator cuff tea
