Injuries Athletic Therapists Treat- A Monthly Series
Welcome to our monthly series!
Our goal is to share with YOU how Athletic Therapy can help you recover from common injuries you or a loved one may be experiencing. Each month will showcase and discuss a new condition athletic therapists see and treat each day
Enjoy!
Rotator Cuff Injury
Rotator cuff injuries are a common shoulder injury that athletic therapists diagnose and treat. In my clinic the two main reasons why we see it so often is because- one, we treat active adults who enjoy playing sports that use the shoulder joint repetitively, such as tennis, golf and pickleball. Two, they may be more at risk due to their age as an older adult. To understand a rotator cuff injury is to understand the anatomy of the cuff, what role it plays on the shoulder joint and how a tear can occur. It is also helpful to know the signs of symptoms associated with a tear, the various types of tears a person with a rotator cuff injury can get and the risk factors associated with a tear.
The main role of the rotator cuff is to stabilize the upper arm inside the shoulder joint. It is also involved with assisting lifting and rotating the arm. The cuff is a group of four muscles that come together as tendons to form a covering around the shoulder joint. The four muscles of the rotator cuff are called: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis.
There are two different ways the rotator cuff can become injured and tear- repetitive wear and tear on the tendon tissue that occurs slowly over time with activities such as those people who have jobs that require repeatedly performing overhead motions like painters or carpenters, or in athletes who play sports such as tennis or volleyball. It can also happen in an acute injury such as a fall on an outstretched arm or in a motor vehicle accident. A person can have either a partial tear (tear goes partially through the thickness of the tendon), or full thickness tear (there is detachment of part of the tendon from the bone)
General signs and symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include:
- pain at rest and at night (usually described as a dull ache),
- pain and movement restriction when lifting and lowering your arm or with specific movements (usually described as a sharp type of pain),
- muscle weakness,
- Crepitus, or noise when moving your shoulder in certain positions
It is important to note that someone with a tear may not display any of these signs or symptoms and may not require treatment if the person is functioning normally.
Risk factors to keep in mind if you think you or someone you know may have a rotator cuff injury are:
- Age- incidence rate increases with age
- Occupation- heavy labour, or repetitive overhead activity
- Certain sports- tennis, golf, volleyball
- Family history
- Traumatic injury
In most cases rotator cuff injuries will require only conservative treatment to heal. Occasionally surgery will be needed to reattach the tendon back to the bone, so it is important to see a healthcare professional, such as an athletic therapist to get a proper diagnosis and the appropriate treatment started right away. Okanagan Athletic Therapy in Kelowna can treat your rotator cuff injury.
It’s also important to understand this injury and the painful and restricted movement that can come with it is not something you have to live with for the rest of your life. If you are missing out on things you used to do and you want to find out what is wrong and get help, then reach out to us for a chat: Here