The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their respective tendons that attach to the bones of the shoulder joint. This so-called cuff allows the shoulder to move and while maintaining it stable. Tendonitis of the rotator cuff can lead to inflammation of these tendons and if continued activity and stress is applied on these tendons, they can tear, resulting in a rotator cuff tear. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint that encompasses the top part of the arm bone where it forms a joint with the shoulder blade. The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus into the scapula, limiting its mobility so that the head of the arm bone does not dislocate and thereby controls the movement of the shoulder joint.
The tendons of the rotator cuff pass underneath a bony area on their way to attaching the top part of the arm bone. When these tendons become inflamed, they can become more frayed over this area during shoulder movements. Sometimes, a bone spur may narrow the space even more. Prior to the cuff muscles or tendons completely tearing, the problem is called rotator cuff tendinitis, or impingement syndrome. This impingement or trapping and may be due to keeping the arm in the same position for long periods of time, sleeping on the same arm each night thereby placing direct pressure on they socket, playing sports where moving the arm over the head is done repeatedly as in lifting weights above your head, swimming, tennis, baseball, and using the arm overhead for many hours or days.
Rotator cuff tears may occur in two ways. A sudden tear may happen when you fall on an outstretched arm, or after an abrupt, jerking motion such as attempting to lift something heavy. The pain with a sudden tear after a fall or injury is usually intense. This injury is commonly associated with a weakness of the shoulder. Occasionally a snapping sensation of movement can also be felt. Chronic tears of the rotator cuff tendon occur slowly over time. This is more likely in individuals with impingement syndrome. At some point, the tendon frays or splits and tears. Symptoms of a chronic rotator cuff tear include a gradual worsening of pain, weakness, and stiffness or loss of motion. The exact point when a rotator cuff tear begins in someone with chronic shoulder tendinitis may or may not, be noticed.
There are partial or full rotator cuff tears. The partial tear is when a tear does not completely sever the attachments to the bone. A full thickness tear refers to a through and through tear. It may be as small as a pinpoint or the entire tendon or tendons. Complete tears detach the tendon from the site and will not heal very well on their own or with minimally invasive techniques. Pain at night is common in people with rotator cuff tears. The pain may be severe enough that it can wake you up.
We at REGENERATIVE MEDICINE INSTITUTE OF NEVADA have found that our Cytokine Growth Factor Therapy enhanced with PRP can often shorten the recovery time of a Rotator Cuff injury. Brining into the joint a concentration of growth factors not normally in the joint can help the healing of the partially torn or well-opposed Rotator Cuff tendons. This can avoid surgery in many cases and involves no anesthesia. A quick in office procedure where the cytokines and growth factors are mixed with PRP and then injected directly into the injured shoulder can lead to a faster recovery with no surgery.
