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The
rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that helps to lift
your shoulder up over your head and also rotate it toward
and away from your body. Unfortunately, it is also a group
of muscles that is frequently injured by tears, tendonitis,
impingement, bursitis, and strains. The major muscle that
is usually involved is called the supraspinatus muscle.
Dr. Cady takes
the care to help you rehabilitate your injured and painful
shoulder without surgery whenever possible. Through a combination
of soft tissue and joint treatment, he has had great success
in rehabilitating even severe cases without surgery.
Rotator
Cuff Problems are usually broken up into the following categories:
Rotator cuff
tendonitis, also knows as "bursitis" or "impingement
syndrome" occurs when the rotator cuff gets irritated
on the undersurface of the acromion. The reason this begins
in the first place is a source of some debate: Some people
are born with a "hooked" acromion that will predispose
them to this problem. Others have rotator cuff weakness
that causes the humerus to ride up and pinch the cuff. This
means that the bursa - a water-balloon type structure that
acts as a cushion between the rotator cuff and acromion/humerus
- gets inflamed:
A rotator cuff
tear occurs when the tendonitis in the rotator cuff gets
so bad that it wears a hole through the rotator cuff tendon.
Since the tendon is what connects the rotator cuff muscle
to your humerus bone, when the tendon is torn, you have
weakness in the shoulder. Usually these tears occur in people
who have had shoulder pain for some time (called a "chronic
rotator cuff tear"). This is, by far, the most common
type of rotator cuff tear.
However, tears
sometimes happen in people who do not have a history of
shoulder problems. These people try to lift something that
is too heavy and feel a pop in their shoulder; usually with
immediate pain (this is called an "acute rotator cuff
tear").
Shoulder
instability can be classified into two different types,
dislocations and subluxations.
1.
Dislocations. This happens when the head of the humerus
completely pops out of the socket. The first few times this
happens, it is usually with significant trauma (although
some people can have these without any injury at all). After
that, it can get easier and easier for the joint to dislocate.
Most shoulder dislocations are anterior - this means that
the ball pops out the front of the socket.
2.
Subluxations. This is the feeling that the shoulder
slips slightly out of socket, then immediately comes back
in place. This often happens without any major trauma. Sometimes
it happens in people who are very "loose-jointed".
Sometimes these happen in just one direction (like out the
front - "anterior"), and other times they happen
out multiple directions - (e.g. front - anterior and back
- posterior) - this is called "multidirectional instability".
Call
us today at 408-739-2273 to make an appointment.
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