Rotator Cuff Injury

Types

Types of Rotator Cuff Injury

There are several types of rotator cuff injuries. Generally, an injury requiring treatment involves irritation or damage to the rotator cuff muscles or tendons, including tendinitis or tear.

Tendinitis
Tendons (tissues that connect muscle to bone) can become inflamed due to overuse or overload, especially in athletes who perform many overhead movements, for example, while playing tennis or other racquet sports.

Tear
Stress from overuse or an acute injury also can cause a shoulder tendon or muscle to tear. The injury can be a partial or complete tear in the muscle or tendon.

Causes of Rotator Cuff Injury

Rotator cuff problems are common among people whose jobs or hobbies involve heavy or repetitive demands on their shoulders. Rotator cuff injuries can occur in people of all ages and occupations. Common causes of rotator cuff injuries include:

Normal wear and tear
After age 40, normal wear and tear on the rotator cuff can break down fibrous protein (collagen) in the rotator cuff's tendons and muscles. This breakdown makes them more prone to degeneration and injury. With age, a person also develops calcium deposits within the rotator cuff or arthritic bone spurs that can result in pinching or irritation.

Falling
Using an arm to break a fall can bruise or tear a person's rotator cuff tendon or muscle.

Lifting
Lifting something that's too heavy or lifting improperly, especially heavy overhead lifting, can strain or tear the rotator cuff tendons or muscles.

Repetitive stress
Repetitive overhead movement of the arms can stress rotator cuff muscles and tendons, causing inflammation and eventually tearing. This happens often in athletes. In those cases, the rotator cuff injury may be called swimmer's shoulder, pitcher's shoulder or tennis shoulder.