Rotator Cuff Injury

• Rotator Cuff Injury Overview
• Rotator Cuff Injury Causes
• Rotator Cuff Injury Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Rotator Cuff Injury Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Multimedia
• Authors and Editors

Rotator Cuff Injury Overview

A rotator cuff injury is an injury to one or more of the four muscles in the shoulder. This shoulder injury may come on suddenly and be associated with a specific injury such as a fall (acute), or it may be something that gets progressively worse over time with activity that aggravates the muscle (chronic). Occasionally, even a simple act like rolling over in bed can result in a rotator cuff injury.

The type of injury can range from an inflammation of the muscle without any permanent damage, such as tendinitis, to a complete or partial tear of the muscle that might require surgery to fix it.

The shoulder joint connects the upper arm to the upper part of the body. It consists of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone).

Many different ligaments (rubber band-like structures that attach bone to bone) are involved in stabilizing the shoulder joint, particularly in the front. The muscles of the rotator cuff stabilize the back of the shoulder joint. These muscles help to keep the head of the humerus in place against the shoulder blade. The rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis).