Rotator Cuff 101
The rotator cuff is made out of four muscles and their tendons, whose main function is to bring stability to the shoulder joint and allow it to perform multiple activities like lifting, rotating and having a range of motion. A rotator cuff tear happens when one or more tendons suffers from an injury.
Injuries that can cause it
- Acute Injury: When you try to lift heavy weights that you’re not strong enough for, this can cause a tear in your rotator cuff.
- Chronic Injury: Repetitive stress can be the root of a chronic damage done to your rotator cuffs. And this repetitive stress can come from something as simple as a bad technique when performing sports like tennis, weightlifting, swimming, etc. Activities like carpentry and painting can also be a possible cause.
- Degenerative Injury: As you get older, you can be more prone to a rotator cuff tear, since this part of your body might lose its mobility. There’s a variety of factors that can cause a degenerative injury, such as bone spurs and a lack of blood supply.
The 3 Differences Between Shoulder Pain And A Rotator Cuff
These conditions may share some characteristics, such as shoulder pain and a limited mobility, but there are 3 crucial differences that can help in your diagnosis.
Stiffness vs. Located pain
While frozen shoulders can make you feel a progressive stiffness along with an aching pain, rotator cuff tears cause a sharper, localized pain. Frozen shoulder pain can make you struggle to move your arms no matter the direction you’re moving them, but on the other hand, rotator cuff injuries become more difficult to bear when you’re lifting a weight or rotating your arm.
Sudden pain vs. silent suffering
Rotator cuff tears can be instantly caused and felt because of an accident or an injury, like falling on an outstretched hand, and it can also develop slowly over time due to overuse and constantly overperforming activities.
Now, on the other side, frozen shoulders are commonly a slow burn. They develop overtime, after a long period of prolonged immobility, like the recovery time from a surgery or an arm fracture.
Universal injury vs. Specific medical conditions
Patients that suffer from conditions such as diabetes, thyroid problems and heart diseases are more vulnerable to experiencing frozen shoulder pain. In contrast to rotator cuff tears, which can happen to, basically, anybody. The difference lies in the fact that while frozen shoulder can be previously related to a health issue, a rotator cuff tear can cause one, like rotator cuff arthropathy.
We Know Where Your Pain Comes From
Trying to identify what’s happening with your shoulder on your own is not the most beneficial route to take when it comes to your healthーand it can make the situation worse. If you’re in Watkinsville or Longanville, Georgia, we’ve got the solution for you.
In Arch Orthopedic & Spine, you can count with the services and the support from a team of healthcare professionals that are led by Dr. William Ashford, MD, an experienced orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. Contact us now and see how your rotator cuff tear pain can disappear with us.
