Rotator Cuff Tears

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Introduction:

Rotator Cuft

A rotator cuff is simply a group of four tendons and muscles that are located right on the shoulder and on top of the humerus bone. (Source 1) The rotator cuff is what controls the shoulder and allows it to move and be mobile. The four main muscles that consist of the tendons are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis muscles. (Source 2). Too much wear and tear on these muscles (such as too many thrown fastballs) is precisely what causes the rotator cuff to begin to tear, as well as swelling in the tendons.



Rotator cuff tears are generally categorized as a chronic injury because it takes repetitive wear and tear on the muscles for it to finally inflict pain on the body. Chronic injuries are simply when the pain gradually continues over a long period of time. On the contrary, acute pain is when something happens suddenly and the pain is much more sharp than compared to the dull and long lasting pain of a chronic injury. (Source 3) In sports the biggest reason why an athlete would tear or injure his/her rotator cuff is not because something major happened instantly like a broken bone or a pulled muscle, but because they continued to put stress on these muscles over a certain period in time. The pain signals will stay active in the nervous system for several months. (Source3) Usually this will occur when the certain activity they are doing is perfomed incorrecty or in a harmful way. An example of this would be lifting too heavy of weights or not using proper technique.

When comparing rotator cuff tears from the common people and athletes, they are much more common when a person is physically active in sports. An injury in the rotator ...

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...b. 02 May 2014.

Source 8-

"Knee (Human Anatomy): Images, Function, Ligaments, Muscles." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.

Source 5-

"Mechanisms of Shoulder Injury." Mechanisms-Rotator Cuff. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.

Source 2:

"Physical Therapy at White Sands in Sarasota for Shoulder." Rotator Cuff Pain Relief with Water Therapy Treatment in Sarasota, FL. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.

Source 1:

"Rotator Cuff (Human Anatomy): Picture, Function, Location." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.

Source 4:

"Rotator Cuff Injury." Risk Factors. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.

Source 7:

"Rotator Cuff Surgery Overview, Risks, and Recovery." WebMD. WebMD, 03 Jan. 0000. Web. 02 May 2014.

Source 6:

"Rotator Cuff Tears-OrthoInfo - AAOS." Rotator Cuff Tears-OrthoInfo - AAOS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.

***Source # is in order of when they were used

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