I want you to imagine your shoulder as a golf ball sitting on a tee.
Imagine your shoulder joint as a golf ball sitting on a tee.
How does the ball not fall off the tee when you raise your shoulder? Well, your rotator cuff attaches and wraps around the "golf ball" or head of the humerus to keep the shoulder in place. These muscles are amazing, and know just how much support your shoulder needs. They also adjust their pull accordingly to whatever stress is placed on your shoulder.
Your rotator cuff is a muscular 'cap' that surrounds the arm bone. It is made out of four muscles that lay on the back, top, and front of your shoulder blade. Each is responsible for slightly different directions of pull on the shoulder. Together they coordinate to keep your shoulder stable with dynamic lifts, bench press, military press, etc. When the rotator cuff is weak or not used to a new movement, it can become irritated or even tear at the tendon! Click here to read more about shoulder anatomy.
Rotator cuff tears usually happen when the shoulder is loaded quickly, and without warning. A couple examples of these could be:
The main symptoms you would feel depending on the severity of the tear would be:
It should be noted that these symptoms are generalized and can also occur with other shoulder issues. That is why it is important to have an evaluation performed by a trained medical professional.
A physical therapist is a medical professional who can help if this issue arises. Our in-depth knowledge of function and anatomy of the shoulder can give you more clarity on the severity of injury. We determine if you would benefit from rehab, or seeing an orthopedic doctor. Luckily, most partial tears and even full rotator cuff tears can recover from pain and limitation with physical therapy!
Our physical therapists and sports physical therapists are board certified in orthopedics and can help you heal from a torn rotator cuff. Reach out to be seen for physical therapy in Columbia and Baltimore, MD!
If you are looking for physical therapy related to rotator cuff tears and injuries, please reach out on our contact page. If you are an athlete, utilize our sports physical therapists for your orthopedic rehabilitation!