Shoulder Impingement and Rotator Cuff Tears – Where Do They Come From and What Can I Do?
Your rotator cuff is actually a group of 4 muscles that perform the majority of your shoulder movements. These four muscles, (the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis muscles) lift and rotate your arm, as well as give your shoulder joint stability, holding the head of your humerus (the “ball” of your “ball and socket” shoulder joint) where it needs to stay while you are moving your arm. Shoulder impingement is one of the leading causes of shoulder pain, and it can lead to tendonitis and bursitis and even to rotator cuff tears.Shoulder impingement is one of the leading causes of shoulder pain, and it can lead to tendonitis and bursitis and even to rotator cuff tears. It is called impingement because when the space is too small for your rotator cuff tendons to run through, the bones can actually pinch on the tendon, causing impingement. This pinching most commonly happens when someone reaches out or overhead, because this is the position where this space is natural
