Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is a Torn Rotator Cuff?Other Rotator Cuff InjuriesNon-Surgical Treatments for Rotator Cuff Injuries
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is a Torn Rotator Cuff?
Other Rotator Cuff Injuries
Non-Surgical Treatments for Rotator Cuff Injuries
Rotator cuff tears may require surgery to repair, but they can often heal with rest, physical therapy, and medication when needed. Discuss with your orthopedist when to have or not have rotator cuff surgery.
Your healthcare provider will consider the type of injury, the degree of pain, and other factors when looking at treatment for rotator cuff injury.
This article explains types of rotator cuff tears and disorders, non-surgical treatment options, and when surgery may be necessary.
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Therotator cuffis the group of muscles and tendons that surround the ball-and-socket shoulder joint. It is comprised of several muscles and three shoulder joint bones: the humerus, scapula, and clavicle. When a rotator cuff tears, one of the tendons connected to the head of the humerus is either partially or completely detached.
Most people withsymptoms of a rotator cuff problemdevelop pain around the shoulder. Other common symptoms include weakness of the muscles and limited joint mobility.
Healthcare providers diagnose rotator cuff problems through an exam and imaging. Tests such as X-rays,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), and ultrasound can help determine the extent of damage to the rotator cuff.
There are several causes ofrotator cuff tears. Causes include:
Due to normal aging, individuals over 40 are at increased risk of rotator cuff tears, and most individuals over 80 have some degree of tearing.Part of natural aging is reduced blood supply to the tendons. A reduced blood supply decreases the body’s ability toheal an injured tendon, making eventual tearing more likely.
Types of Rotator Cuff Tears
There are two main types of rotator cuff tears: partial and complete tears.
Partial tears:In apartial tear, the tendon is still attached to the bone. However, the attachment has weakened from a thinning of the tendon.
Complete tears:In a complete tear, part or all of the tendon is completely detached from the bone.
A partial tear may progress to a complete tear over time.
Other rotator cuff injuries include tendonitis, bursitis, impingement syndrome, and calcific tendonitis.
The majority of rotator cuff injuries do not require surgical intervention. If a recent, acute injury caused the tear or the tear is large, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery. Your healthcare provider may also recommend surgery if you have experienced symptoms for longer than six to 12 months or if your shoulder pain and reduced mobility are significantly impacting your daily life.
There are several non-surgical interventions that healthcare providers often try first torepair the rotator cuff.
Physical Therapy
A physical therapist can tailor a regimen to reduce pain and improve shoulder mobility. The physical therapist will likely focus on exercises to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint, which can help stabilize the joint.
Additionally, you and your physical therapist may incorporate flexibility exercises. Improved flexibility can help reduce pain andincrease range of motion.
Rest
Resting your shoulder can improve pain and allow you to better participate in other treatments, such asphysical therapy. Your healthcare provider may instruct you to avoid the activities that likely caused the injury in the first place.
For example, if you compete in rowing, you may need to take a break from the sport for some time. Or, if you work in construction, you may need to take time off of work to allow the injury to heal.
Pain Medication
A healthcare provider may recommend that you take variousover-the-counter pain relieversto reduce the pain associated with a rotator cuff tear.
Both ibuprofen and aspirin are considerednon-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Ensure you understand your healthcare provider’s instructions for taking pain medications. For example, they may not want you to take aspirin and ibuprofen together since it can increase the risk of adverse effects. However, it may be ok to take them spaced far enough apart.
Steroid Injections
It is recommended that you try rest, medications, and physical therapy first. However, if these measures do not provide adequate pain relief or a return of shoulder mobility, your healthcare provider may recommendsteroid injections.
Steroid injectionsreduce inflammation in the joint. However, they do not work for everyone. If they do work for you, the length of time they last varies between individuals. You may find they work for just a few weeks or are so effective that you never need another injection. Generally, steroid injections work for most people and last around three months.
Treating a Rotator Cuff Tear Without Surgery
When Surgery Is Necessary
Conservative treatment, such as physical therapy, is typically the first-line treatment for most tears. However, if the patient is young or an acute injury caused the tear, surgery may be the ideal first option.
The main goal is to decrease pain and restore function to the shoulder joint. Some degree of tearing is expected with advanced age. However, if conservative treatments do not provide relief, your healthcare provider may recommend surgical intervention.
In most cases, a healthcare provider can perform a less invasive type of surgery calledarthroscopic repair. Additional treatments, such as platelet-rich plasma ormesenchymalstem cells, may help aid in recovery. Tendon transfers from another part of the body may be considered a surgical option if the rotator cuff tendons are too damaged to repair.
After surgical repair, your healthcare provider will immobilize your shoulder joint with a sling or wrap. You will then work with a physical therapist to progress from passive to active range of motion exercises. Recovery is long and lasts several months.
Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery: Everything You Need to Know
Summary
Most rotator cuff tears don’t require surgery, and many people find relief with non-surgical treatments. Patients who are told they needrotator cuff surgeryshould understand the reason for the surgery.
In most cases, non-surgical treatments provide relief, with the exception of younger patients who have rotator cuff tears resulting from traumatic injuries. If you are unsure of the necessity of rotator cuff surgery, asecond opinioncan be helpful.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears.MedlinePlus.Rotator cuff injuries.Frandsen JJ, Quinlan NJ, Smith KM, Lu CC, Chalmers PN, Tashjian RZ.Symptomatic rotator cuff tear progression: conservatively treated full- and partial-thickness tears continue to progress.Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil.2022;4(3):e1091-e1096.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Shoulder impingement/rotator cuff tendinitis.Merolla G, Singh S, Paladini P, Porcellini G.Calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff: state of the art in diagnosis and treatment.J Orthop Traumatol.2016;17(1):7-14.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program.Zhou T, Han C, Weng X.Present situation and development prospects of the diagnosis and treatment of rotator cuff tears.Front Surg. 2023;10:857821.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears: surgical treatment options.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears.MedlinePlus.Rotator cuff injuries.Frandsen JJ, Quinlan NJ, Smith KM, Lu CC, Chalmers PN, Tashjian RZ.Symptomatic rotator cuff tear progression: conservatively treated full- and partial-thickness tears continue to progress.Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil.2022;4(3):e1091-e1096.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Shoulder impingement/rotator cuff tendinitis.Merolla G, Singh S, Paladini P, Porcellini G.Calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff: state of the art in diagnosis and treatment.J Orthop Traumatol.2016;17(1):7-14.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program.Zhou T, Han C, Weng X.Present situation and development prospects of the diagnosis and treatment of rotator cuff tears.Front Surg. 2023;10:857821.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears: surgical treatment options.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears.MedlinePlus.Rotator cuff injuries.Frandsen JJ, Quinlan NJ, Smith KM, Lu CC, Chalmers PN, Tashjian RZ.Symptomatic rotator cuff tear progression: conservatively treated full- and partial-thickness tears continue to progress.Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil.2022;4(3):e1091-e1096.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Shoulder impingement/rotator cuff tendinitis.Merolla G, Singh S, Paladini P, Porcellini G.Calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff: state of the art in diagnosis and treatment.J Orthop Traumatol.2016;17(1):7-14.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program.Zhou T, Han C, Weng X.Present situation and development prospects of the diagnosis and treatment of rotator cuff tears.Front Surg. 2023;10:857821.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears: surgical treatment options.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears.
MedlinePlus.Rotator cuff injuries.
Frandsen JJ, Quinlan NJ, Smith KM, Lu CC, Chalmers PN, Tashjian RZ.Symptomatic rotator cuff tear progression: conservatively treated full- and partial-thickness tears continue to progress.Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil.2022;4(3):e1091-e1096.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Shoulder impingement/rotator cuff tendinitis.
Merolla G, Singh S, Paladini P, Porcellini G.Calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff: state of the art in diagnosis and treatment.J Orthop Traumatol.2016;17(1):7-14.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program.
Zhou T, Han C, Weng X.Present situation and development prospects of the diagnosis and treatment of rotator cuff tears.Front Surg. 2023;10:857821.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Rotator cuff tears: surgical treatment options.
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