Rotator cuff injury

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Introduction Signs and symptoms Causes When to seek medical advice

Screening and diagnosis Treatment Self-care

Introduction

Your rotator cuff is made up of the muscles and tendons in your shoulder. Four major muscles (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor) and their tendons connect your upper arm bone (humerus) with your shoulder blade. They also help hold the ball of your upper arm bone firmly in your shoulder socket, as if holding a golf ball on a tee. The combination results in the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body.

Rotator cuff injuries are fairly common. Causes of the injury may include falling, lifting and repetitive arm activities, especially those done overhead. These activities may include throwing a baseball, reaching up to work on a car on a rack or placing items on shelves above your head. The injury is also common among people whose jobs or hobbies include heavy demands on their shoulders, such as athletes, archers and people in the construction trades. Poor posture, especially as related to your shoulders hunched forward, also can contribute to rotator cuff injury. As you get older, your risk of a rotator cuff injury increases.

Most of the time, treatment involves self-care measures or exercise therapy. Other treatments include steroid injections and surgery.

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Signs and symptoms