The rotator cuff keeps your arm in the shoulder socket, a group of muscles and tendons that allow safe shoulder rotation. A tear in one or several of these muscles causes pain and may weaken your shoulder. A rotator cuff tear West Chester causes a dull ache in the shoulder, which worsens at night. Daily activities like dressing and combing your hair become challenging and painful if you have a rotator cuff injury. Physical therapy exercises are enough for most people with a rotator cuff injury to manage the symptoms and improve muscle strength and flexibility.

Causes of a rotator cuff tear

Rotator cuff tears or injuries mainly result from progressive tendon wear and tear occurring gradually. The degeneration is usually painless and naturally occurs as you grow older. You are most likely to develop this injury on your dominant arm – the arm you prefer to use for most activities. If you have a degenerative tear in one shoulder, a rotator cuff tear is most likely to occur in the opposite shoulder. Examples of contributing factors include:

  • Repetitive stress. The same shoulder motions can stress your rotator cuff muscles and tendons, speeding up degeneration. Examples of activities that increase your risk of overuse tears include weightlifting, rowing, baseball, and tennis. Jobs like painting and building that require a lot of overhead motions can also cause overuse tears.
  • Insufficient blood supply. As you advance in age, the blood supply to the rotator cuff tendons reduces. Lack of blood supply impedes the body’s natural ability to repair tendon damage, resulting in a tear.

Risk factors for rotator cuff tear

Certain factors make you more vulnerable to this shoulder injury. For example, the risk of rotator cuff tears increases with age; older adults above 60 years are more likely to have this injury than younger people. Athletes who play sports like tennis and baseball are at risk of overuse tears due to repetitive stress.

Occupations like carpentry and house painting require repetitive overhead arm motions and put you at risk of rotator cuff tears. You are also more likely to have this injury if your family has a predisposition.

Treatments for rotator cuff tear

There are various treatment options for a rotator cuff tear; the one your healthcare provider recommends depends on your age, activity level, general health, and type of tear. Most patients with a rotator cuff tear gets better with nonsurgical treatments like:

  • Rest. Your provider may recommend limiting overhead activities because this can cause further damage.
  • Activity modification. Do not engage in any activity that causes or worsens shoulder pain.
  • Medications, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen can reduce pain and swelling.
  • Physical therapy. Your specialist may recommend specific exercises to strengthen your shoulder and restore movement. Besides pain relief, strengthening the muscles can help prevent further injury.
  • Steroid injections. Sometimes the pain persists even after trying out rest, medications, and physical therapy. In such cases, your doctor may inject cortisone with a local anesthetic to relieve the pain.

If you have chronic shoulder and arm pain, book an appointment with your specialist at Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine for treatment.