What are some of the most common types of shoulder injuries?
Rotator cuff injuries are very common. Rotator cuff injuries can vary from simple rotator cuff tendonitis, which is an inflammation of the tendon, to rotator cuff tears where the tendon has actually torn from the bone. Rotator cuff injuries are very common problems that we see in both younger and older patients. In younger patients we see primarily rotator cuff tendonitis from overuse activities such as throwing. In older patients we see tendonitis and rotator cuff tears. What is a rotator cuff? 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 wh
