The rotator cuff holds the upper arm in place and is a complex network of tendons and muscles covering the ball part of the shoulder joint. A partial or complete rotator cuff tear is a common injury caused by either injury or wear and tear. It can start to prevent you from enjoying sporting activities, affect your day-to-day life and even stop you from sleeping at night. Rotator cuff surgery may be recommended to reduce pain and increase mobility.
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that originate from the shoulder blade and attach to the top end of the arm bone. They help initiate and control shoulder movements and keep the joint stable. These muscles could be damaged by wear and tear or from accidents and falls. This leads to shoulder pain and or weakness. If neglected, the muscle damage could progress to more severe problems, including arthritis of the shoulder joint.
Very small and incomplete tears may be amenable to retraining of the shoulder with physiotherapy and limited keyhole surgery to clean up the torn part allowing the body to heal the injury.
However, more significant and long-standing damage to the tendons would require them to be stitched back onto the bone or to themselves with sutures and suture anchors (bone screws with sutures attached to them). This repair is best performed through keyhole surgery, but rarely an open surgery may be required.
In some cases, the tears would have been so large and gone untreated for such a long time that the tendons cannot be stitched back to bone or would not work if stitched back. In these situations, and selected cases, a shoulder replacement surgery using a special metal and plastic device called a reverse polarity shoulder replacement would be required to reinstate shoulder function.
Mr George-Malal has a team of experienced shoulder physiotherapists to help you get your shoulder back to comfort and function after your surgery.
What are the symptoms of a rotator cuff tear?
If a rotator cuff tear results from a sporting injury or accident, then it is likely to cause immediate and intense shoulder pain and weakness. With degenerative tears, you are likely to experience mild pain, which will get worse over time that won’t be relieved painkillers.
Sufferers will feel a dragging or stabbing pain and difficulty raising the arm, and you may feel a popping or clicking sound when you move the arm. The pain can eventually affect you when you are resting and can disturb your sleep.
How is a rotator cuff tear diagnosed?
Mr George-Malal can determine if there has been a rupture and the extent of the tear with X-rays of the bones of the shoulder and ultrasound and MRIs to visualise the soft tissues.
What is the recovery like after rotator cuff surgery?
Recovery after rotator cuff repair will depend on your age, fitness, the severity of the tear, and the surgical approach used to repair it. Your commitment to rehabilitation after surgery is also a factor.
It can take several months to recover entirely and most patients can expect to have function, range of motion and restored strength and flexibility by four to six months after surgery.
