I am twelve years old and I have a rotator cuff injury. It all started when I skied into powder unknowingly and did a complete roll down the face off the mountain hitting my shoulder multiple times while outstretched. So I went to school thinking I was fine, which I was, until a friend of mine wanted to "fix" my shoulder and therefore forcing a rotator cuff injury. I screamed in pain and astonishment as I smacked his face repeatedly. He deserved it. Take note that I told him not to touch me but yet he continued and did. It wasn't until my next class that my hand had swollen and turned a deep red. Also I could not write. I was immediately sent home. Now here I am writing in bed with my left hand and in a sling not being able to sleep due to pain and preparing for tomorrow's X-rays and possible MRIs.

A few days ago, I was shoveling snow. It had snowed a lot, and I was clearing away a 5-foot pile up. I got a pretty good load on the shovel and hoisted it over my shoulder. I could feel the muscles pulling, but by the time I tried to stop, my shovelling arc had already been completed. There was an initial sharp pain, and then some discomfort lifting my arm to the side. Fortunately, I still have more or less full range of movement. I just have a pretty sharp pain when I lift my arm to the side. Like I said, I've had plenty of shoulder injuries in the past. Shoulder separation being the most common. This was something different in that at least here I can move my arm in some directions, where with separations, I couldn't move at all. Not much comfort in that realization, though. Hoping that some rest and NSAIDs will get me back to the weight room in a few weeks.

Last summer I tried to pull up a large ivy root so that a new fence could be put in place. I tore the rotator cuff in my dominant arm (confirmed by a private MRI scan) and have been in pain ever since. Despite repeated visits to my GP, osteopath & chiropractor I can get little relief. As I am 69 it seems I am too old to be referred for surgery. Now pursuing my hobbies such as painting, writing, gardening etc are too painful, so my quality of life has shrunk. It's no fun getting old & 'past your sell-by date'!

I damaged my rotator cuff by taking a severe fall as a small child from a climbing frame, reaching upwards to try and grab a rung as I fell. Later I had a number of horseback riding accidents, one of which in particular involved my falling right on my bad arm. Much later in life I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, but my left shoulder was always worse than anywhere else. It seems I had been putting extreme pressure on my left shoulder by constantly sleeping on it the final straw was when I had a more recent horse-related accident when my saddle rotated and someone grabbed my bad arm to save me from coming right off the horse. I guess all those things contributed to the very large tear I have. Unfortunately because of the large size of the tear, my Rheumatoid Arthritis and the limited range of movement with severe pain I have I have been told it's likely to remain like this. I began Pilates as a way to release it and this has had some effect though I guess the answer is don't sleep heavily on one side and certainly don't fall off horses too often. I've trained myself with pillows to sleep on my other side now - as for the horses - unfortunately I'm addicted.

I was bailing water from a basement drain using a gallon jug and throwing it over the side of the driveway. The wind and heavy rain blew debris down blocking the drain, and water was running quickly into my garage.

I work in manufacturing and was at work and it had rained quite a bit that day and the floor was wet (the roof is not in perfect condition). I was attempting to push a cart on wheels that was loaded with about 1500 lbs of material. I leaned into the load and pushed and my feet went flying out behind me and I fell to the floor while still holding onto the bar of the cart. The instant pain was in my knees having fallen to hard concrete. After somewhat recovering from the shock and pain in my knees I tried to lift an impact gun and continue working. That is when I felt the extreme pain in my left arm and shoulder. I reported the injury to my boss and saw a doctor who diagnosed it as a shoulder sprain. Eight weeks later and two weeks in rehab the pain seems to be worse. The doctor now seems to think I have a torn rotator cuff and I am awaiting approval for MRI from workers compensation. Anti-inflammatory medications and pain pills are how I'm getting by for now. The good news is that they now have an electric device to move the carts with just a push of a button.