You may have a rotator cuff injury if you have pain in your shoulder, especially at night, and difficulty or weakness with overhead activities.
What is a Rotator Cuff?
A rotator cuff is a combination of muscles and tendons in your shoulder. They connect to the top of the humerus (upper arm bone), and help to position your hand in space. The rotator cuff also helps to stabilize the shoulder joint which has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body.
What Are Rotator Cuff Disorders?
Some of the common rotator cuff problems include:
- Tendonitis or inflammation of the tendons
- Bursitis or inflammation of the bursa, a small, fluid-filled sac that serves as a cushion between the tendons and bones.
- Impingement or abnormal contract between the bursa and underlying rotator cuff with bone above it.
- Rotator cuff tendon tears.
- Calcific tendonitis or buildup of calcium in the rotator cuff tendons
Treating Rotator Cuff Injuries
Properly treating rotator cuff injuries is important. If they go untreated for too long, often systems will worsen and treatment may be more difficult. Treatment options include:
- Resting the shoulder.
- Using anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve pain and decrease the amount of swelling.
- Physical therapy to help increase shoulder strength and range of motion.
- Steroid shots in the shoulder. Though steroid shots don’t cure all rotator cuff disorders, they help reduce pain and swelling and can help improve symptoms associated with many problems affecting the rotator cuff.
Call OrthoNY if you think you may have a rotator cuff injury. Our shoulder surgeons include Drs. James Alfandre, Kyle Flik, Leonard Goldstock, Lee Kaback, Joseph LaRosa, and George Silver.