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Ency. home > Disease > R > Rotator cuff tendonitis

Rotator cuff tendonitis   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Swimmer's shoulder; Pitcher's shoulder; Shoulder impingement syndrome; Tennis shoulder

Treatment

The injured shoulder should berested from the activities that caused the problem and from activities that cause pain. Intermittent ice packs applied to the shoulder and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will help reduce inflammation and pain.

Physical therapy to strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff needs to be started. If the pain persists or if therapy is not possible because of severe pain, a steroid injection usually reduces pain and inflammation enough to allow effective therapy.

If the rotator cuff has sustained a complete tear, or if the symptoms persist despite conservative therapy, surgery may be indicated. Arthroscopic surgery can remove bone spurs and inflamed tissue around the shoulder. Small tears can be treated with arthroscopic surgery although larger tears require open surgery through a larger incision to repair the torn tendon.

Prognosis

Most people recover full function after a combination of medications, physical therapy and steroid injections. For patients with tendonitis and a bone spur, arthroscopic surgery is very successful in restoring them to their pre-injury level of activity. People with tears of their rotator cuff tend to do well, although their outcome is strongly dependant upon the size and duration of the tear.

Complications

  • bursitis
  • complete rotator cuff tear
  • failure of treatment to improve symptoms

Call Your Health Care Provider If:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if persistent shoulder pain occurs. Also call if symptoms do not improve with treatment.

Ency. home > Disease > R > Rotator cuff tendonitis

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