The shoulder has an enormous motion range, making it easy to swing your hand and reach back and forth. This mobility makes it easy to accomplish everyday activities; thus, wear and tear on the rotator can be disabling. Young people can have rotator cuff tears from sports injuries and trauma, while older adults can develop a tear from shoulder joint overuse. You should find experts in rotator cuff tear in West Chester who can help you overcome the condition. Read on about rotator cuff care and how to overcome inflammation and pain in the joint.
Table of Contents
Rotator Cuff Anatomy
The rotator cuff has supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis tendons attached to the muscles on the shoulder blade. These rotator cuff tendons work together to stabilize the joint, lift the arm above the head and rotate the shoulder. However, tears on the tendons can be disabling and lead to reduced motion range and chronic pain.
What Causes Rotator Tear?
The tissues on the shoulders thin out with age, and a tear is likely to develop due to joint overuse. People with tendonitis are likely to develop a tear, and you can treat the minor tears with medications. However, if there is a major tear, you might undergo surgery. Moreover, tears caused by traumatic injuries will be repaired surgically. Recovery from the shoulder joint can be slow, and it is better to avoid it at an old age. However, when diagnosed early, surgery would be suitable for older adults. Moreover, it is better to go for the arthroscopic minimally invasive procedure as it offers quick healing and less pain.
Symptoms of Rotator Tear
Joint degenerative conditions can impact your shoulder, leading to tears and pain. Sometimes you tear the rotator cuff, and pain might take some time before it appears. However, some rotator tear symptoms include reduced motion range, inflammation, pain, sleep difficulty, progressive shoulder weakness, and trouble reaching the back.
How to Deal with Shoulder Pain
Non-surgical methods can reduce the pain after the rotator cuff can improve the pain and reduce inflammation. Moreover, you can apply hot and cold packs on the shoulder to reduce swelling. You can engage in physical exercise, but you should see a physical therapist to guide you on the right exercises. Low impact exercises can restore shoulder joints, improve motion range, and increase exercise intensity when the pain goes away.
You can also inject the shoulder joint with a cortisone steroid, which reduces inflammation. Moreover, minimally invasive surgery could improve the rotator tear and pain. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can reduce shoulder joint pain. Moreover, you can rest the affected area and wear slings to isolate arm motions during recovery.
Final Thoughts
The rotator joint ensures your arm completes everyday moves, and an injury and tear can be disabling. The shoulder joint has four tendons connected to the shoulder muscles and other connective tissues, facilitating different motion ranges. The rotator cuff mobility makes it easy to accomplish everyday activities; thus, pain and tears on the rotator can be disabling. However, you can develop rotator cuff tears and pain from shoulder joint overuse and injuries. However, you should treat the tear and pain as soon as possible to improve the health outcome.
