types of rotator cuff injuries Archives

Do I Need Surgery for a Rotator Cuff Problem?

November 22, 2021November 16, 2023
by Eva Hospital

Overview

The treatment of some rotator cuff surgery problems is possible at home. But a problem that is severe or lingers for more than a few months, may need surgery.

Rotator cuff tear is a common injury at the shoulder joint but not every rotator cuff tear causes problems that require surgery to address.

The most common injury to the shoulder, Rotator cuff tears generally produce symptoms of weakness and pain particularly on attempting to lift the arm.

An acute injury resulting in a rotator cuff tear should be considered for surgical repair within six weeks of the injury to prevent atrophy of the muscle and tendon.

Causes of Rotator Cuff Problems

A group of tendons and muscles in the shoulder, Rotator Cuff helps in lifting and rotating the arm. It also assists to keep the shoulder joint in place. However, occasionally, the rotator cuff tendons tear or get squeezed by the bones around them.

This can be caused by an injury, like falling on the arm. But wear and tear over time can take its toll on your shoulder, too, causing severe pain.

Treatment

A few rotator cuff problems can be treated with home care. The doctor advises resting the shoulder joint and icing the area.

Non-surgical treatments, including anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and possibly a cortisone injection may benefit old rotator cuff tears and those that come on without an injury.

But if these fail to work, Rotator cuff surgery should be considered either to smooth out the roughness from the tear or if the tissue possesses reasonable quality & quantity to perform a surgical repair.

Patients with more constant pain, difficulty with simple activities like getting dressed, lifting household objects, or pain at night interfering with sleep may need to undergo surgical treatment.

If the symptoms do not interfere with the usual activities, then the person may not. need surgery. For example, a patient with a rotator cuff tear of the non-dominant shoulder living a sedentary lifestyle may not need surgery.

In contrast, athletic patients with injured shoulders may need surgery to return to their sport of choice.

Non-surgical treatments may help relieve symptoms of smaller tears. However, larger tears usually benefit from earlier intervention as these tears can retract, resulting in a permanently shortened tendon.

As a result, the muscle may suffer irreversible weakening. Timely surgery may help increase the likelihood of successful recovery In patients with these tears.

Surgery may be needed if:

The shoulder hasn’t improved after 6 to 12 months
There is loss of strength in the shoulder find it is painful to move
There is a tear in the rotator cuff tendon
The patient has high activity level and relies on the shoulder strength to play sports or perform his/her job

What Type of Surgery is Needed?

The pain can be relieved and function restored to the shoulder with surgery. Some surgeries can be performed on an outpatient basis but for most of them, one may need hospitalization.

The most common types of surgeries are:

Arthroscopic repair: Two very small cuts in the skin, and the surgeon inserts a tiny camera called an arthroscope and special, thin tools into the shoulder. These allow them to see which parts of the rotator cuff are damaged and the best way to fix them.

Open tendon repair: Having been around for a long time, this surgery is the first technique that has been used to repair the rotator cuff. If the tear is very large or complex, the surgeon may choose this method.

Making a large incision in the shoulder, the shoulder muscle is detached giving the surgeon direct access to the tendon. This is beneficial if the tendon or shoulder joint needs to be replaced.

Recovery

Recovery from arthroscopic surgery is generally faster than open tendon repair. As the open tendon repair is more complicated, one may also have more pain right afterward the surgery.

Whichever surgery you may have, the full recovery takes time. One should be prepared to be in a sling for about 6 weeks.

This safeguards your shoulder giving the rotator cuff time to heal. Driving is off-limits for at least a month.

The key part of recovery is physical therapy. The doctor recommends exercises to be performed every day or one can work with a physical therapist.

The movements learned will help to regain shoulder strength and range of motion.

Although recovering from rotator cuff surgery can be challenging, most people can return to their normal routine within 6 months

Our team at Eva Hospital under the guidance of Dr. Tanvir Bhutani is adept at treating rotator cuff problems both surgically and otherwise.

Dr.Tanveer Bhutani orthopedic doctor in Ludhiana with his precision and experience has been helping people lead pain-free and normal life. Contact for an appointment.

Eva Hospital

Rotator Cuff tear – Causes & Risk factors

April 28, 2021March 30, 2024
by Eva Hospital

Rotator Cuff tear – Causes & Risk factors

A rotator cuff tear is a common shoulder condition in adults. The most prominent symptoms are pain at rest and at night, especially while lying on the affected side.

The shoulder is a ball and socket joint.

It constitutes three bones- the humerus, the clavicle, and the scapula( upper arm, collar bone, and the shoulder blade). The head of the humerus is the ball that fits into the socket of the scapula.

A group of muscles and tendons called the rotator cuff, covers the ball and keeps it stabilized inside the socket of the shoulder, and helps you lift your arms or rotate them.

It makes simple tasks like brushing your hair or dressing up very difficult & painful.

Rotator cuff tears are of two types – partial tear and complete tear. When only one of the muscles is torn, it is partial RCT. The one that goes deep through the tendons and rips it apart from the bone is a complete rotator cuff tear.

Causes

RCT or rotator cuff tears happen due to two main reasons, namely, injury or wear and tear of the tissues. Injuries may be in the form of a fall on the shoulder, or a sudden forceful impact.

If a person repeats overhead actions(like that of bowling in cricket) or lifts heavyweights over a considerable period of time, it degenerates and tears the tendons located in the joint.

Tears may happen gradually over time or may occur suddenly as well.

Injury is very common, experienced by most players, especially those who play sports such as basketball, tennis, or volleyball.

It is also related to occupation and occurs as a result of repeated use of the same set of muscles over an extended period of time. Painters, musicians, or cleaners are more prone to such wear and tear.

Risk Factors

Some people are more susceptible to rotator cuff tears than other people. The main risk factors include

Age: The wear and tear that naturally occurs with advancing age make persons over 40 years more vulnerable to degenerative RCT injury.

They may be sportspersons, physically active people, or adults with a normal amount of activity.

Younger adults do not have degenerative tendons unless they have a serious medical condition. The risk factor for people below the 40 age group is a traumatic injury, such as falling.

Statistically speaking, shoulder tears are seen most commonly in citizens above 60 years of age.

Athletes: Athletes are especially prone to overuse tears, particularly cricket, rugby, tennis, and volleyball players.

Certain movements in games put a strain on the same set of muscles repeatedly, which cannot be avoided.

However, precautions can be taken while training, giving importance to warming up, stretching, and strengthening exercises. l

Construction workers: Your occupation also puts you at risk of rotator cuff degeneration if your job involves lifting weights or repetitive arm movements.

Construction workers like labor, carpenter, mason, or painter have jobs in which they are mostly working with their hands above the shoulder level, throughout the day.

As a preventive measure, they must avoid this overuse, keep taking breaks and perform warm-ups and strengthening exercises to avoid degeneration.

Family history: Rotator cuff injury has been found to be linked to genetics as well. If there have been incidences of RCT in your family, it makes you more vulnerable to injury and care must be taken.

Treatment Options for Rotator Cuff Repair

A rotator cuff tear can be treated surgically or non-surgically. Many partial tears or sometimes complete tears also respond well to non-operative treatment.

However, acute tears, especially in young adults are better treated with surgery if they have a risk of damaging the rotator cuff entirely.

Shoulder arthroplasty and shoulder replacement are the two surgical options in severely damaged cases.

The line of treatment depends entirely on the individual patient, and factors such as age, the severity of pain, and the range of motion. Arthroplasty is a minimally invasive surgical technique.

Dr. Tanveer Singh Bhutani, one of the best shoulder replacement surgeons in India, shares,” the basic aim is to promote good musculoskeletal health of the shoulder, improve flexibility and relieve pain.

The decision for surgery is only taken after comprehensive testing, diagnosing and evaluating the patient based on his/her lifestyle requirements.”

With his expert team of orthopedic surgeons, therapists, psychiatrists, and more, he has helped in the rehabilitation of several people in curing shoulder and sports injuries.

For expert diagnosis and rehabilitation of shoulder injuries, you can make an appointment at the Ludhiana clinic.

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types of rotator cuff injuries

Do I Need Surgery for a Rotator Cuff Problem?

Overview

Causes of Rotator Cuff Problems

Treatment

Surgery may be needed if:

What Type of Surgery is Needed?

The most common types of surgeries are:

Rotator Cuff tear – Causes & Risk factors

Causes

Risk Factors

Treatment Options for Rotator Cuff Repair