| A lot depends on how you tore it! There are several | | | | end up having different types of tears in your shoulder |
| different ways to injure your rotator cuff, and although | | | | cuff muscles. |
| the basic diagnosis is the same (a torn rotator cuff) | | | | The good news is that, unlike a tow rope, a torn |
| the treatment can be different, depending on how you | | | | rotator cuff tendon can heal if it is treated properly and |
| did it and the type of tear. | | | | the vast majority of tears can be treated without |
| Firstly, a rotator cuff tear is an injury to the tendons of | | | | resorting to surgery. |
| the rotator cuff. These muscles are the weakest point | | | | Rest is the first order of the day and by rest, I mean |
| of the shoulder and most likely to be the cause of | | | | completely resting the shoulder, avoiding any |
| shoulder pain. | | | | movement that causes pain. You then need to treat |
| You can tear one of these tendons in a variety of | | | | the inflammation. This can be done with ice packs, |
| different ways. It could be a fall or a knock, it could be | | | | anti-inflammatory drugs and sometimes with steroid |
| by lifting something that is too heavy or it could just be | | | | injections. Once the pain and inflammation have gone it |
| wear and tear caused by a shoulder impingement. | | | | is possible to start rotator cuff exercises to strengthen |
| Imagine your tendons like a piece of old tow rope. If | | | | the rotator cuff muscles. |
| you tried pulling something that was too heavy the | | | | What will vary dramatically with each injury is the |
| rope could stretch and when it runs out of stretch | | | | amount of time spent on each stage of the recovery |
| some of the fibres could start to pull apart. Stop pulling | | | | process. Rush this and you may regret it. Shoulder |
| and the damage gets no worse. | | | | injuries cannot be rushed and it is important to never |
| If on the other hand you tried towing something that | | | | try to work through a torn rotator cuff. It is also |
| was too heavy and pulled away suddenly, the rope | | | | important to seek professional advice especially if the |
| could simply snap, giving up quickly and snapping | | | | pain continues or worsens. |
| relatively cleanly. | | | | Some tears may require surgery either to tidy up the |
| What if you positioned the rope so that it was rubbing | | | | tear to facilitate better healing or to free up a shoulder |
| against something? Again you would end up with a | | | | impingement to stop further injury but this is actually |
| completely different type of damage as the rope | | | | quite rare and conservative, non-surgical treatment is |
| gradually gets worn and frayed. | | | | usually tried first. |
| In exactly the same way as the tow rope you can | | | | |