Home » Treatment for Rotator Cuff - Rarely Involves Surgery

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A rotator cuff tear can come about for a number of different of reasons. For most of us it will probably be as a result of wear and tear as we get older. Although this is an injury that is most common in the over fifties, it can also come about as the result of a knock or fall or can even be caused by a constantly repeated action such as throwing a baseball . This is why it is sometimes called pitcher's shoulder.

Corrective surgery is usually restricted to the unlucky few who either manage a complete rotator cuff tear or whose injury does not respond to conventional treatment.

So what is the best type of torn rotator cuff treatment?

Firstly rest! You need to let the shoulder heal properly and if you carry on using it, either it will slow down the recovery process or the worst case scenario is that you will make the injury worse. Depending on which of the cuff tendons you have managed to damage different shoulder movements will be painful. The classic symptoms for a Supraspinatus tear for example are pain when lifting your arm above shoulder height or reaching for anything, pain when reaching behind you and difficulty sleeping because the shoulder is so tender. If you carry on doing the same movements that you find painful you are going to further damage the muscle which could leave you with a full thickness rotator cuff tear that will definitely need an operation.

Next, you need to treat the inflammation and pain. This is usually done with anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen or may even be treated with cortisone injections. Treating the inflammation will sometimes help with any pain or discomfort simply because a lot of shoulder pain is caused by inflamed tendons getting impinged or pinched. Ultra sound can also be used to help with the inflammation and can also prompt healing.

Once the injury has started to settle down and movement has become easier it is time to start exercising the rotator cuff muscles to build up their strength. Torn rotator cuff treatment will involve small exercises with little or no resistance. The rotator cuff muscles are small muscles that often suffer injury simply because we neglect them. Most of us don't understand how important these muscles are until we manage to injure them, but they are key to a healthy shoulder, holding the arm into the socket as we move and lift.Just a small increase in the strength of the rotator cuff can have a huge affect on the overall strength of the shoulder.

Rotator cuff specific exercises are what is called for. If you start working out with weights this is likely to just work the major muscles of the shoulder and do nothing for the rotator cuff. Rotator cuff exercises will isolate these muscles and get them working again. You'll be surprised just how quickly your shoulder joint will return to full health once you get these muscles working again.

But remember, rest and treat the inflammation before you start any rotator cuff exercises. If you need to modify how you work in order to rest your shoulder then do it. Working through a rotator cuff injury can only lead to further injury.

And finally. It is worth mentioning that self diagnosis of shoulder problems is not a good idea. Different injuries need different treatments and it's worth getting it right just to avoid further problems. 

Treatment for rotator cuff tears is often simply a matter of exercise, as long as it is the right kind of exercise done at the right time.