Rotator cuff injuries and treating them

Rotator cuff injuries - what do they mean and what can be done to help?

Often in clinic we have patients talking about rotator cuff pain, however we seem to get a mixed response when we ask patients about their understanding around what it is and how it operates.

In this article we will aim to offer a little more information on the rotator cuff and some possible causes for pain.

What is the rotator cuff?

The Rotator Cuff is a common name for a group of four muscles and their tendons, which provide strength and stability during movement of the shoulder complex. They, as their name suggests, mainly involve rotational movements of the shoulder. They are also referred to as the SITS muscle, with reference to the first letter of their names:

Supraspinatus

Infraspinatus, Teres minor

Subscapularis,

Rotator cuff injuries

In younger people, most injuries occur because of trauma, for example a sporting injury. Other injuries arise from overuse due to repetitive activities. The risk of rotator cuff injury can increase with age this is due to the fact muscles in this area are susceptible to degeneration. Types of rotator cuff injury include:

Rotator Cuff Tears (tearing of the muscles or tendons)

Rotator Cuff Tendinitis (acute inflammation of the rotator cuff soft tissues

Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy (chronic irritation or degeneration of the rotator cuff soft tissue)

Impingement syndrome (biomechanical dysfunction of the shoulder complex with causes abnormal wear and tear on the rotator cuff soft tissue).