The shoulder can be a ball-and-socket joint: The ball, or head, of one’s upper arm bone fits into a short socket within your shoulder blade. Being a leading orthopedic surgeon in Southern California, Dr. Zack works safe, effective, minimally invasive procedures restore pain-free and to assist her Los Angeles, CA, individuals resolve symptoms flexibility.
How to identify a rotator cuff injury?
There is a rotator cuff tear a common cause of disability and pain among people. In 2008, near 2 million people within the United States went to their doctors due to a rotator cuff problem.
Your neck wills destroy. Which means that several activities, like getting dressed or combing your hair, can become hard and uncomfortable to accomplish.
What are some causes for a shoulder injury?
Acute Tear
If you fall down on your outstretched arm or lift something too heavy with a jerking motion, you can tear your rotator cuff. This type of tear can occur with other shoulder injuries, such as a broken collarbone or dislocated shoulder.
Degenerative Tear
Most tears are the consequence of a carrying down of the muscle that occurs gradually with time. This degeneration normally occurs once we age. Rotator cuff tears are far more widespread within the dominant arm. For those who have a degenerative tear in one shoulder, there’s a better risk for a rotator cuff tear inside the opposite shoulder – even if you have no pain in that shoulder.
What are the symptoms or signs of a rotator cuff injury?
The most common symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include:
- Pain at rest and at night, particularly if lying on the affected shoulder
- Pain when lifting and lowering your arm or with specific movements
- Weakness when lifting or rotating your arm
- Crepitus or crackling sensation when moving your shoulder in certain positions
What are some treatments for a rotator cuff injury?
You keep using it despite increasing pain and for those who have a rotator cuff tear, you might cause further damage. A rotator cuff tear will get bigger with time.
In about 50% of clients, nonsurgical therapy reduces pain and improves function in the shoulder. Shoulder strength, however, does not typically increase without surgery.
Surgical Treatment
Your doctor may suggest surgery in case your pain doesn’t increase with nonsurgical methods. Continued pain will be the principal indication for surgery. If you use your arms for activities or overhead work and are very productive, your doctor may also suggest surgery.
Other signs that surgery may be a good option for you include:
- Your symptoms have lasted 6 to 12 months
- You have a large tear (more than 3 cm)
- You have significant weakness and loss of function in your shoulder
- Your tear was caused by a recent, acute injury
