Call your healthcare provider if pain gets worse or you can't use your arm like you used to. Next steps Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider: Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen. Before your visit, write down questions you want answered. Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your provider tells you. At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you.
Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are. Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways. Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean. Know what to expect if you don't take the medicine or have the test or procedure. If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit.
Know how you can contact your provider if you have questions. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care.
Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions. As you age, the blood supply to connective tissue and joints — including the rotator cuff — decreases.
This reduces your natural ability to repair minor damage, so over time, the damage may progress into a full-blown tear. These spurs rub on the tendons of the rotator cuff every time you lift your arms, resulting in a condition known as impingement that can weaken the tendon and cause a tear.
You may also experience a partial tear, where the soft tissue is damaged but not completely severed. This leads to further damage and a larger tear. If you feel any pain in your shoulder, visit Dr. He can rule out a tear or diagnose it early enough that nonsurgical interventions, such as activity modification, strengthening exercises, steroid injections, and rest, can help relieve your pain and improve your shoulder function.
Rotator cuff injuries do take time to heal, so you must be patient to achieve successful rehabilitation. See your doctor right away if you have immediate weakness in your arm after an injury. Rotator cuff disease may be the result of either a substantial injury to the shoulder or to progressive degeneration or wear and tear of the tendon tissue.
Repetitive overhead activity or heavy lifting over a prolonged period of time may irritate or damage the tendon. Without treatment, rotator cuff problems may lead to permanent loss of motion or weakness, and may result in progressive degeneration of the shoulder joint. Although resting your shoulder is necessary for your recovery, keeping your shoulder immobilized for a prolonged time can cause the connective tissue enclosing the joint to become thickened and tight frozen shoulder.
Exercises that involve pressing your arm against a wall can help strengthen the muscles that make up your rotator cuff. With your elbow at a degree angle, put the palm of your hand on the side of a wall or door frame that's in front of you A. Place a folded towel between your side and upper arm. Your goal is to keep the towel there as you press your palm against the wall or doorframe for several seconds.
For the second exercise, keep the towel in place not shown and shift your body so that you're standing next to a wall B. With your elbow at a degree angle, press your elbow and forearm against the wall for several seconds.
Repeat each exercise 10 times for five sets. If you are at risk of rotator cuff injuries or if you've had a rotator cuff injury in the past, daily shoulder strengthening exercises can help prevent future injury.
Most people exercise the front muscles of the chest, shoulder and upper arm, but it is equally important to strengthen the muscles in the back of the shoulder and around the shoulder blade to optimize shoulder muscle balance. Your doctor or a physical therapist can help you plan an exercise routine. Rotator cuff injury care at Mayo Clinic. For most rotator cuff injuries, doctors prescribe conservative treatment.
Research estimates that conservative treatment is effective in 73 to 80 percent of cases of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Most people regain their range of motion and strength after 4 to 6 months.
If symptoms persist or worsen, your doctor may recommend surgery. Your doctor will also prescribe surgery for severe shoulder injuries. Discuss with your doctor which type of surgery is best for your particular injury.
Options include:. Recovery times from surgery vary depending on the type of surgery and extent of your injury. In some cases, healing can take up to 2 years , but most people are back to their normal activities and recover much sooner than that. Most surgical repairs are successful. Talk with your doctor about ways to increase a good outcome.
For example, if you smoke, this will involve quitting. People who smoke are more likely to have a poorer surgical outcome. Treating rotator cuff injuries early can save you from increasing pain and the inability to use your arm and shoulder in daily activities. The ball-and-socket structure of your shoulder and arm is an intricate arrangement of muscles, tendons, and bone. Injuries to the rotator cuff are common, but treatment is often successful.
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that stabilize the shoulder.
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