Treating Shoulder Pain: Rotator Cuff Tears

Symptoms

Acute tears

On the other hand, a tear that affects the entire rotator cuff muscle or tendon is called a full-thickness tear. Rotator cuff tears can also be grouped based on the severity of pain. Hence, an acute rotator cuff tear normally happens abruptly because of falls, lifting injuries or sport-related injuries. Symptoms of acute tears include the following:

• Abrupt tearing sensation that triggers a lot of pain that tends to travel from the upper shoulder to the arm and elbow. It might as well reduce your joint’s range of motion.
• A lot of pain and loss of muscle power, resulting to a difficulty when trying to raise your arm.
• Bleeding and/or muscle spasms that may disappear in a couple of days.

Chronic rotator cuff tear

The next kind is the chronic rotator cuff tear. It is triggered by strenuous activities like professional sports and jobs that require making continuous overhead movements. Chronic shoulder injuries can also result from a past acute injury that altered the structure of the rotator cuff and how it functions.

• Pain that worsens during sleep
• Gradual weakness and reduced shoulder motion when the pain gets so severe
• It becomes harder to move your arm out to the side

Common Causes

How to know your shoulder pain is caused by a rotator cuff tear?

The very first symptom felt when there is a problem with the shoulder is pain. It is felt inside and around the joint, especially, when trying to move the shoulder.

Doctors describe this pain as a dull ache that tends to come from deep within the shoulder. It is often enough to interrupt your sleep as you cannot lie on the injured shoulder joint.

Signs of cuff tears

– When lifting your shoulder, you feel too weak and it might produce a clicking sound.

– Decreased shoulder motion or having a stiff shoulder.

– Inability to touch behind your back or lift a hand above your shoulders.

– Pain on the side of the injured arm that leads to disturbed sleep.

– Pain that seems to travel down the outer arm from the top of the shoulder.

Treatment

Besides the below-mentioned treatments, your shoulder physician can use physical therapy and strength workouts along with home remedies like rest and reduction of activities that lead to the shoulder problem you are having.

NSAIDs

These are anti-inflammatory medicines and their work is to decrease pain, swelling and inflammation. They provide relief by blocking the production of given body chemicals that trigger inflammation. Once you control pain, you can continue functioning normally until your rotator tears heal.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy

Simply called a PRP therapy, this method entails a treatment where a patient is injected with their own blood platelets and growth factors. These platelets and growth factors are known to start a repair process where stem cells are aroused to initiate natural healing.

Steroid injections

If your doctor notices that conservative care treatments are not effective at treating your rotator cuff tear, they might administer steroid injections in the shoulder bursa area–just above the tendon. These injections are able to reduce discomfort, break continuous bursal irritation, and get rid of swelling. At the same time, steroid injections enable people to do strengthening exercises. Normally, patients receive 3 shots per shoulder every six months. These are often combined with physical therapy.