Did you know that around 2 million adults in the US visit doctors every year for rotator cuff tears? This cuff consists of a group of muscles and tendons that attach the bones to the shoulder joint to allow the shoulder to move and be stable. There can be many reasons why your rotator cuffs tears. However, without treatment, this tear won’t get better. In this article, you will learn what causes rotator cuff pain and how to manage it. Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org.

Causes

Rotator cuff pain is usually caused by progressive wear and tear of the tendon tissue over time and due to injury.

1. Degenerative wear and tear:

Wear and tear of the tendon that happens over time is called tendonitis. This wear and tear degeneration occurs as we age and is mostly painless. These tears are more common in the dominant arm – the arm you use more to do your tasks. If you have tendonitis in one shoulder, chances are that it will also occur in the opposite shoulder cuff as well, even when you have no pain in the shoulder. This happens when tendons of the rotator cuff (that go from a bony area to attach to the top part of the arm bone) get inflamed. This tendonitis which occurs in rotator cuffs is called impingement syndrome. Several factors can cause this condition, including:

• When you keep repeating the same position or motion for prolonged periods, like doing computer work, hairstyling, playing baseball, tennis, rowing, and weightlifting are common examples of activities that can stress your rotator cuff muscles and tendons and put you at risk of overuse tears.
• Sleeping on the same arm or keeping a poor posture.
• As you age, the blood supply to your rotator cuff tendons decreases, which lowers the body’s natural ability to repair tendon damage (the most natural tendon tear).

• Injury:

Injury can occur if you fall 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 injuries as well, like a broken collarbone, a dislocated shoulder, or a wrist fracture.

If your tear is partial, it may get better over time or with the help of treatment. However, if your tear is complete, that means your whole tendon is damaged and detached from where it is attached to the bone. It can also be retracted or pulled away from the bone and doesn’t heal on its own.

Management

When you’re experiencing pain in your shoulder and may think it is a rotator cuff tear, you should take treatment, instead of using it normally, because it causes further damage. Chronic shoulder pain or arm pain is a good reason to see the doctor. Prompt treatment helps to prevent the symptoms from getting worse. To manage rotator cuff pain, the doctor can choose either non-surgical or surgical treatment options based on your age, activity level, type of tear you have, and overall health.

Usually, treatment is by non-surgical or surgical options, including:

1. Non-surgical options:

If your rotator cuff has partial tears, non-surgical options may help you improve functionality and decrease pain in shoulder muscles. Around 80 to 85% of patients get better with nonsurgical treatments. It includes:

• Rest: Your doctor suggests taking rest and limiting activities that need you to stretch your arms over your head.
• Activity modification: Avoid any activity that causes strain on your shoulder and causes shoulder pain.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): These anti-inflammatory drugs can help you ease pain and swelling.
• Physical therapy can help strengthen the muscles and bones with stretching exercises. These exercises also improve flexibility and range of motion.
• Steroid injections: These injections are recommended to ease pain and swelling when other nonsurgical options don’t work.

• Surgical options:

Your doctor may recommend surgery if you have a complete tear, or your pain doesn’t improve with nonsurgical treatments. You may also need surgery if your job or athletic interests affect your shoulder. Most rotator cuff surgeries are minimally invasive (done through small incisions). In some cases, open surgery is also used. Mostly, you can go home the same day after surgery, but overall recovery after surgery can take a longer time, like a year or more.

During surgery, your doctor makes a small incision on your shoulder to insert a small camera to see inside. Then, with the use of tiny instruments, they make small incisions in your shoulder to remove bone spurs and reattach the tendon to your upper arm bone.

For a partial tear, your doctor may only trim fraying pieces of a partially torn tendon. This debridement procedure keeps your shoulder ball or socket from catching your tendon and tearing it more. Some tears aren’t repairable due to the size or age of the tear, in those cases, you may need a reverse shoulder replacement, tendon transfer, or debridement of scar tissue without repair.

When to get a shoulder joint injection

As a patient, you should get a shoulder joint injection when you don’t get better with other nonsurgical treatment options like rest, medications, and physical therapy. Then, a steroid injection with local anesthetic is given to you to reduce pain and swelling. However, its effect wears off over time and doctors use this method along with physical therapy to improve your rotator cuff condition. There’s no exact time to know how long the effects will last, it may last for weeks, months, years, or even for the rest of your life. On average, injections can provide pain relief to around ⅔ of patients for at least 3 months. The risks of repeated, long-term injections are something you should talk with your doctor about before considering taking them.

Rotator cuff pain can occur due to repetitive position and motion or due to injury. However, there are many treatment options for rotator cuff pain that help you reduce pain and swelling. Even improve your flexibility and movement. However, in some cases, surgery is necessary to fix the tear and make the shoulder work effectively.

For help with shoulder pain, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!! If your pain needs professional assistance, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn today or call to get a consultation. The location at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 is well-served by public transportation, including many bus routes, and the subway line. Visit our website at https://doralhw.org/department/pain-management/ or contact us on +1-347-384-5690 for additional details.