Rotator Cuff Tear, Shoulder Impingent, Tendonitis? What do I have?
The shoulder is a four membered muscle family. When one member is not acting as it should, the whole system becomes unstable. Imagine a rowing team. If one rower is not in sync with the rest, the boat does not travel as efficiently or as fast as it should. A rotator cuff injury is like the slacker member. It is one of the four muscle groups not being engaged as it should be due to injury, strain, or tear.
When the surrounding muscles of the shoulder joint are injured, it creates a cause for concern of a rotator cuff tear. Injuring this area comes with extreme discomfort and impairment of daily healthy functions. Tendonitis can also occur in the rotator cuff in which there is inflammation in a particular area of the shoulder joint. It is this more specified area that diagnoses the injury as tendonitis. Shoulder tendinitis is better known as ‘impingement syndrome’. It is when there is inflammation of the bursa and its surrounding tendons.
In comparison, when multiple areas are injured causing pain, it is a sign of a rotator cuff tear which can take longer to heal. In this case, age does not act like a fine wine. Injuries to the shoulder, including rotator cuff tears, occur with age, overuse, or acute injury. It is difficult to know what kind of injury has occurred solely on pain level. Individuals have varying levels of pain tolerance and therefore any discomfort should be checked out right away to avoid further injury or damage.
The rotator cuff is so important because it is just the first domino in a line. It assists in the rotation of other muscles. If that first domino doesn’t fall, the other domino’s will not want to fall in place either. Physical therapy is fabulous because it is a drug free, noninvasive, nonsurgical way to rehabilitate a rotator cuff tear, shoulder impingement, or any shoulder injury/impingement. Lilly Physical Therapy provides a wide variety of revolutionary treatments that help speed recovery and healing. Get back to rotating normally today!
