What Is A Rotator Cuff?
Your rotator cuff is made up of 4 tendons and muscles that surround your shoulder to become one super strong joint? Its purpose is to securely hold your arm in place in your shoulder. Your rotator cuff provides strength stability and a coordinated fluid motion which helps the joint during rotation.
What Injuries Cause Rotator Cuff Damage?
It is a fairly common injury and usually involves some form of damage to the muscles or tendons that make up you rotator cuff. The highest cause of damage is often the result of daily activities. The simplest activity could cause inflammation or a tear; lifting, pulling and repetitive actions. It can also be the result of a fall or impact on your shoulder. Athletes also suffer from rotator injuries due to repetitive shoulder movements. Baseball pitchers would be the best example.
How Will You Know You Have Injured Your Rotator Cuff?
Pain is the first indication that you have injured your rotator cuff. You may have pain that is slowly getting worse and has become chronic or it may be from a sudden impact and be an acute injury. However pain is not always your first symptom.
Other Signs of Injury Can Be
-Inability to sleep on your sore side
-Difficulty lifting objects
-Limited range of motion, especially when raising your arm above your head
-Weakness in your shoulder
What Are Your Treatment Options?
Rotator cuff injuries do not often require surgery. Rest, ice and simple exercise therapy is the first course of treatment. Exercises are based on strengthening your shoulder joint while improving flexibility and stability. By doing this you will avoid any future injuries or tears. Obviously your therapy will be determined by how serious your injury is.
You may also benefit from over the counter pain relief and anti inflammatory meds can also help. If over the counter meds are not strong enough then you will want to talk to your physician about having a pain killing injection.
Sometimes however, your injury may require surgery to fix your pain. It will also depend on how bad your injury is and if all other options have been looked into.
The pain caused from a rotator injury can go on for weeks if not months. Why should you live with this discomfort any longer? Visit your nearest orthopedic surgeon today and get back to doing the things you enjoy, pain free.
