ORTHOPEDICS/SHOULDER & ELBOW/SHOULDER DISORDERS
Rotator Cuff/ Four Muscles and Tendons Damages
The rotator cuff is an assemblage of muscles and tendons that wrap the shoulder joint.
The rotator cuff is vital for normal shoulder mobility, strength, and function.
Damages occurring to the rotator cuff, comprising rotator cuff tendonitis and rotator cuff tears, are the most frequent disorders that result shoulder pain.
Rotator Cuff/Muscles and Tendons
A muscle is a kind of tissue able to contract providing mobility and strength. A tendon is an assembly that links the muscle to the bone.
In the shoulder, damage to the rotator cuff is habitually within the tendon. These tendons possesses a susceptible blood supply, known as watershed. This watershed can enhance damage vulnerability.
The muscles are apt to damage as well, particularly at the chronic rotator cuff tears level where these muscles become wasted away.
In these circumstances, the muscle always modifies resulting of being overused improperly.
Wasted away or Atrophy of the rotator cuff muscles generally signifies that a tear in the tendon has been localized for a long period and may be irrepairable.
Supraspinatus/Muscle and Tendon
The supraspinatus muscle designate most commonly a damage to the rotator cuff muscle and tendon.
The supraspinatus is often situated straightly on the shoulder top; therefore, it affects the most significant muscle in lifting the arm away.
MRI is the best diagnosis to show precisely a damage to the supraspinatus tendon, as it may diagnose tendonitis, partial tears, and full-thickness tears (complete tears) of the tendon as well.
Infraspinatus/Muscle and Tendon
The infraspinatus tendon designate the tendon just behind the supraspinatus and it define that the beginning of one tendon and the end of the other can be complicated (they fundamentally blend into each other).
In some cases, the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus tendons may affect more than one tendon. This is known by ‘massive rotator cuff tears’.
Subscapularis/Muscle and Tendon
The subscapularis designate a tendon in the front of the shoulder.
This tendon is rarely damaged, but when damage occur, it may cause some specific contests.
In this case, the motion (called internal rotation) the shoulder is dependent on the subscapularis.
In addition, the subscapularis helps providing steadiness to the shoulder, as it helps maintaining the normal position of the biceps tendon.
Generally, damages during recovery can lead to tearing of the healing tendon. This is a problem seen usually following to a shoulder switching surgery or after an open labral restoration surgery.