What is a Rotator Cuff Tear?
Everyone is always talking about the “rotator cuff”! Everyone knows it has to do with your shoulder, how it rotates, and that when its injured, it really hurts! Let’s look behind the mystique of the infamous rotator cuff and dig in to the facts!
Anatomy
The shoulder is a ball and socket joint comprised of three bones: the humerus (upper arm), clavicle (collarbone), and scapula (shoulder blade). The rotator cuff is the name for the group of 4 distinct muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) and their tendons which attach to these bones. These muscles support the shoulder joint during movement.
Function
As a ball and socket joint, the shoulder is highly mobile but relatively unstable. The main role of the rotator cuff muscles is to stabilize the shoulder complex. During arm movements, the four muscles of the rotator cuff contract to prevent the head of the humerus from sliding within the shoulder socket. Additionally, rotator cuff muscles help in the mobility of the shoulder joint by facilitating abduction (bringing the arm away from the body), internal rotation (rotational movement towards the midline of the body), and external rotation (rotational movement away from the midline of the body).
Common Injuries and Pathologies
Subacromial Impingement (shoulder impingement):
Subacromial impingement is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. It occurs as a result of compression of the rotator cuff muscles by surrounding bony structures and ligaments causing pain and irritation of the muscles. When your rotator cuff is irritated or injured, inflammation occurs. The swelling reduces the space around the rotator cuff, leading to impingement. Shoulder impingement syndrome is mostly seen in individuals who are involved in sports and other activities with a lot of overhead rotational motion, such as climbing, swimming, baseball, volleyball, and tennis. Symptoms of subacromial impingement include pain that is exacerbated by overhead activities and heavy lifting, tenderness at the front of the shoulder, pain or achiness at night affecting your ability to sleep, and weakness or stiffness of the arms and shoulder. Symptoms are usually come on gradually. Treatment options for shoulder impingement include rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medication, and physiotherapy.
Rotator Cuff Tears:
Rotator cuff tears can be caused by an acute injury such as falling onto an outstretched arm, or due to wear and tear from repetitive activities. Rotator cuff tears may also occur due to degeneration of the tissues as seen with aging. Symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include pain with lifting the arm, pain that prevents you from sleeping on the affected side, cracking, or clicking sounds when moving your arm, and muscle weakness. Rotator cuff injuries can be treated with rest, physiotherapy exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles, and in severe cases, such as complete ruptures, surgery may be an option.
3 Exercises for Rotator Cuff Injury Prevention
Below are three exercises you can do to strengthen the different muscles of the rotator cuff and prevent shoulder injuries while climbing, or participating in other overhead activities such as tennis, baseball, swimming, and volleyball.
Prone I’s, Y’s, and T’s to strengthen teres minor, infraspinatus
Internal rotations with a band to strengthen subscapularis
External rotations with a band to strengthen teres minor, infraspinatus
However, if you are concerned about a rotator cuff injury or are experiencing shoulder pain during the sports and activities you enjoy, come visit one of the physiotherapists at Elios Health who can provide you with a complete assessment to determine the cause of your shoulder pain, create a rehabilitation plan suited to your unique goals, and provide manual therapy to reduce your pain and get you back to the sports and activities you love!
Original Post by Rachel Rubin Sarganis
Photo by Severin Candrian