Rotator Cuff Injuries

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Have you been experiencing pain coming from the shoulder? It may be related to your rotator cuff.

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The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis, which sit at the deepest layer of your shoulder. Your rotator cuff contributes to the stability of the shoulder joint and are active in all movements of the shoulder.

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You may have heard a number of terms when people discuss shoulder pain and rotator cuff injuries, such as: sub acromial impingement, rotator cuff tears, tendinitis or tendinopathy, rotator cuff related pain syndrome. With shoulder pain being labelled as so many different things, it can be confusing. Regardless of the semantics, symptoms often present similarly and fortunately management strategies are often the same.

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Signs and symptoms

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Rotator cuff pain may come on gradually without any specific traumatic event. It can often begin after periods of increased, unaccustomed activity for the shoulder – doing too much too soon. There are also a number of other factors that contribute to the onset on persistence of shoulder pain that aren’t often considered such as:  genetics, hormonal changes, smoking and alcohol consumption, other health conditions like diabetes mellitus, nervous system changes and psychological factors.

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Signs at that you may have rotator cuff pain

• Pain in the shoulder that may extend down the arm towards the elbow

• Pain with movement of the shoulder, such as raising the arms or lifting above the head

• Pain with lying on the affected side at night

• Loss of shoulder function or range of motion

• Weakness in the shoulder or arm

 

Diagnosis

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Diagnosis of rotator cuff injuries typically doesn’t require imaging. Your Physiotherapist will conduct a thorough subjective assessment, to understand how your shoulder pain is impacting you and combine this with a physical assessment that may involve palpation, muscle and joint testing, functional capacity testing. This will also help to rule out other pathologies that may present similarly to rotator cuff pain.

 

Management

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Management should always be specific to your individual needs and address your goals. Although, it may likely involve:

• Education to help you understand what you can do with your shoulder and how you can modify your pain.

• Strategies for modification of aggravating activities

• Hands on therapy to provide pain relief and give you confidence to move your shoulder

• A progressive exercise program to help build the capacity of your shoulder

 

Management of rotator cuff pain rarely requires surgery, most commonly this is useful for acute traumatic injuries in a younger population.

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If you have shoulder pain, or think you might have rotator cuff pain and are struggling to manage your symptoms, we can help! Make an appointment one of our dedicated physiotherapist to have your shoulder assessed and treated by calling (07) 3211 8775 or click here to book online.