| > | | | | on the bone damaging the tendon leaving it vulnerable |
| The shoulder joint consists of three different bones, | | | | to tearing or fraying. You could compare it to an old |
| the humerus or upper arm bone, collar bone or clavicle | | | | rope being rubbed against something hard, after time |
| and the shoulder blade or scapula. All of these bones | | | | the rope would begin to fray and if left long enough |
| affect the shoulder. Until I got a shoulder injury, I thought | | | | could actually snap. |
| of my shoulder blade as a simple triangle of bone that | | | | The causes of rotator cuff impingement are similar |
| sat on my back and stuck out whenever I pushed my | | | | to other injuries. Any injury or trauma to this particular |
| elbows forward. | | | | tendon, that causes swelling, can trigger a rotator cuff |
| The shoulder joint contains three different bones, the | | | | impingement. Arthritis can cause the channel to narrow |
| upper arm bone or humerus, collar bone or clavicle and | | | | and as we age some of us actually grow bony spurs |
| the scapula or shoulder blade. All of these bones make | | | | on the acromion that will narrow the channel and |
| up the shoulder. Until I got a shoulder injury, I thought of | | | | cause a potential impingement. |
| my shoulder blade as a triangle of bone that was | | | | The symptoms of an impingement are shoulder pain |
| located on my back and stuck out if I pushed my | | | | especially when raising the arm above shoulder height |
| elbows forward. I had not really thought about its | | | | or reaching out for something coupled with trouble |
| design or purpose. | | | | sleeping at night. A simple test that your doctor may |
| Actually, it is quite a complex piece of human | | | | do for a shoulder impingement is to ask you to |
| architecture. At the top outer corner it has a cup of | | | | straighten your arm with the palm facing out and then |
| bone called the glenoid which forms the ball of the | | | | to raise it up. If this causes pain then you almost |
| shoulder ball and socket joint. It also attaches to the | | | | certainly have a rotator cuff impingement. |
| clavicle at the top. This part of the shoulder blade is a | | | | Don't ignore a shoulder impingement as this can |
| hook of bone that curves over at the top called the | | | | cause more serious problems. Therapy is rest and |
| Acromion. | | | | anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the inflammation. Do |
| In addition to the the bones of the joint there are | | | | Make sure that you avoid any overhead movements. |
| seventeen different muscles which work the shoulder | | | | If you work at something like plastering or painting you |
| as well as ligaments and cartilage that all make up | | | | will need to change how you work to avoid these |
| and hold together this complex joint. | | | | movements. When the muscles are rested and have |
| The cuff is a group of four muscles that all fix to the | | | | started to recover you can start physical therapy to |
| shoulder blade at one end and the humerus at the | | | | strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff to prevent |
| other, surrounding the joint in a cuff of muscle . They all | | | | future injuries. |
| pull the ball at the head of the upper arm bone into the | | | | If symptoms persist or if the bone has changed |
| socket of the shoulder joint. Because the socket of | | | | shape then you are almost certainly looking at |
| the shoulder is very shallow these muscles are | | | | surgery to repair it. This will involve keyhole surgery |
| necessary to hold the arm in place and stabilize the | | | | called a sub-acromial decompression where the |
| joint. Without them our shoulders could become easily | | | | surgeon shaves away a piece of bone to release |
| dislocated. | | | | the tendon. |
| One of these muscles, the supraspinatus runs | | | | Most rotator cuff impingements are solved without |
| through the hook of the acromion before attaching | | | | surgery but it is vital to take this injury seriously and |
| to the upper arm bone. Try to imagine a thin tendon | | | | rest it, avoiding overhead movements. The pain you |
| running through a channel of bone. If the channel | | | | feel is an indicator that more damage is being done so |
| narrows or the tendon gets inflamed it can start to rub | | | | listen to your body and let it heal. |