Causes, Prevention, And Treatment Of Rotator Cuff Injuries

Posted on: 8 September 2018

It can be very easy to injure your rotator cuff if you engage in certain repetitive activities and have other health risks. Rotator cuff injuries make life difficult as you likely rely on your shoulder for reaching and lifting. However, there are some things you can do to make injury much less likely to happen. Here is more information about the risk factors for rotator cuff injury and things you can do to prevent damage.

How the Rotator Cuff Works

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles which help hold your shoulder together and allow you to rotate your arm. These muscles attach as tendons to the upper arm bone and shoulder blade. Injuries happen when these muscles and/or tendons are torn.

Common Risk Factors

Aside from direct hit or fall, overuse is one of the most common risk factor for injuring your rotator cuff. As you age, your chances of injury are much greater. Your risk is also higher if you have any type of osteoporosis or a family history of rotator cuff problems.

Symptoms of a Rotator Cuff Injury

Many people don't feel pain when their rotator cuff is injured. You may not realize that you have a problem until you start to notice that you can't reach for things like you used to. You may also hear a popping or grinding sound in your shoulder area and your arms may also feel weak,

Preventing Rotator Cuff Injury

The best way to prevent rotator cuff injury is to do gentle exercises that build up the rotator cuff muscles. Because these muscles can easily get injured if you don't do the exercises correctly, try to get an advice of a personal trainer or expert as to how to do them the right way. Another thing you can do is rest the muscles if you feel that the area is getting fatigued.

Treatment for Rotator Cuff Injury

If your injury is not severe, your doctor may try injections and physical therapy to help reduce pain and swelling and strengthen the muscles. However, if the injury is severe, then surgery may be prescribe. Surgery can range from repairing the tendon arthroscopically to total shoulder replacement.

Taking care of your rotator cuff helps to ensure that it will continue to be trouble-free or cause minimal problems as you age. However, if you are unable to prevent overusing or injuring your rotator cuff, then you may need to look at medical options including surgery. If you think you are at high risk for rotator cuff injury, or you think you might already be injured, then see a shoulder specialist for a diagnosis and treatment. Visit a site like christophercschmidtmd.com for more help.

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