Rotator cuff injury

What is it?

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint, keeping the head of your upper arm bone within the socket of your shoulder.

What are the symptoms?

A dull ache deep in the shoulder, disturbed sleep, particularly if you lie on the affected shoulder, difficulty combing your hair or reaching behind your back, and inability to raise your arm.

What causes it?

Rotator cuff injury may be the result of either a substantial blow to the shoulder or wear and tear of the tendon tissue. Rotator cuff injuries occur most often in people who repeatedly perform overhead motions and is common in painters, or carpenters and often seen in sports like baseball or tennis.

What’s the treatment?

Physical therapy It’s usually one of the first treatments your doctor will suggest.

Exercises Routines tailored specifically to your injury can help restore flexibility and strength to your shoulder.

Injections Your doctor might recommend a steroid injection into your shoulder joint, especially if the pain is interfering with your daily life. Injections should be used cautiously, as they can contribute to weakening of the tendon. Surgery Many different types of surgeries are available for rotator cuff injuries, including:

■ Arthroscopic tendon repair with a tiny camera and tools through small incisions to reattach the torn tendon to the bone.

■ Open tendon repair through a larger incision to reattach the damaged tendon to the bone.

■ Tendon transfer where your surgeon will use a nearby tendon as a replacement.

■ Shoulder replacement to increase the artificial joint‘s stability a reverse arthroplasty can be done where where the ball part of the artificial joint is attached to the shoulder blade and the socket part on to the arm bone.