Rotator Cuff Tears Surgery
Rotator Cuff Tears Surgery
A rotator cuff tear is a rip in the group of four muscles and tendons that stabilise your shoulder joint and let you lift and rotate your arms (your rotator cuff). It’s also called a complete tear or a full-thickness tear.
There are two kinds of rotator cuff tears. A partial tear is when one of the muscles that form the rotator cuff is frayed or damaged. The other is a complete tear. That one that goes all the way through the tendon or pulls the tendon off the bone.
It’s a common injury, especially in sports like baseball or tennis or in jobs like painting or cleaning windows. It usually happens over time from normal wear and tear or if you repeat the same arm motion over and over. But it can also happen suddenly if you fall on your arm or lift something heavy.
Rotator cuff repair is surgery to repair a torn tendon in the shoulder. The procedure can be done with a large (open) incision or with shoulder arthroscopy, which uses smaller incisions. All rotator cuff injuries cause immediate pain. Some are the result of degenerative conditions, meaning the rotator-cuff could be damaged for months or years before symptoms start to appear.
What are the symptoms of a rotator cuff injury?
- Significant pain that causes you to avoid certain activities
- Pain or tenderness when reaching overhead
- Trouble reaching behind the back
- Difficulty reaching out to the side
- Progressive weakness of the shoulder
- Pain in the shoulder, especially at night