Like most part of our bodies, we rarely stop to consider how our shoulders help us every day-enabling us to swing our arms, lift them, move them forward and back, and carry things. But the shoulder is literally a pivotal part of our body-and the rotator cuff inside is the muscle group that enables us to pivot our arms and gives us a good range of motion. The rotator cuff is actually four muscles-the teres minor, the subscapularis, supraspinatus, and the infraspinatus. These muscles hold the shoulder joint-comprised of a ball and socket-in proper placement and are key to maintaining that range of motion. You should know the signs and symptoms so you can recognize an injury-or worse yet a tear-in the rotator cuff and seek treatment to prevent a permanent disability.

If you experience pain on the top, back portion of your shoulder where these muscles are located, you’ve likely injured your rotator cuff. Pain that shoots down your arm or increases with movement is an even stronger indicator of such an injury. And pain that also persists even when you sleep due to pressure on the shoulder area pretty much confirms it. If the pain is severe enough that over the counter pain killers don’t alleviate it, there is a higher probability that you’ve torn-rather than just injured or strained-your rotator cuff.

Weakness will also accompany such an injury. You will start to lose strength in your arms-even for doing routine tasks like brushing your hair or getting dressed. That shoulder pain, combined with weakness in the arms, is a classic symptom of a torn rotator cuff.

Sometimes you may even hear some ‘popping’ sounds while lifting or lowering your shoulder. These sounds may be an indication that your rotator cuff is injured. Grating or cracking sounds while moving your arm may also indicate a tear in the rotator cuff.

The problem with many rotator cuff injuries is that they start out rather small as a negligible pain that goes unnoticed. Then it worsens with additional strain and overuse. Then, if you fall or sustain a different type of injury, you often feel the full force of the pain, weakening, and noises all at once. A torn rotator cuff can come on slowly or suddenly.

As people age, they typically experience more trouble with rotator cuff injuries. Troubles build up over time and as a result of repeated or excessive use. Initially, symptoms are often ignored and then masked by taking pain pills to try to alleviate the symptoms. But the injury is still there.

It’s important to treat a rotator cuff injury in its infancy-before it gets worse. Your doctor can help determine whether you have a torn rotator cuff and how to best treat it. Exercises and medications are just some of the options he will explore with you.

Tags: Health

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