What structures are involved in an Impingement Syndrome?
There are three bones that make up the shoulder complex: the scapula (shoulder blade), the humerus (the upper arm bone) and the clavicle (the collar bone). The rotator cuff attaches the humerus to the scapula. The muscles that make up the rotator cuff are: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. A tendon is the part of the muscle that attaches it to the bone. The purpose of the rotator cuff is to rotate the humerus as well as to pull the head of the humeral down during arm elevation in order to avoid pinching any structures. The rotator cuff is also responsible for holding the humerus tightly into the socket of the scapula (the glenoid fossa). The upper part of the scapula that makes up the roof of the shoulder is called the acromion. A bursa is located between the acromion and the rotator cuff tendons. A bursa is a lubricated sac of tissue that cuts down on the friction between two moving parts. This bursa (the subacromial bursa) protects the acromion and the rota
