The shoulder is a ball and socket joint consisting of three bones: the humerus, scapula (shoulder blade), and collar bone. The rotator cuff is a combination of four muscles that stabilize and give strength to the shoulder joint.
A tear in one of the four muscles of the rotator cuff: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis.
The Interventional Pain Doctors team of spine and pain management specialists can diagnose a rotator cuff tear during a comprehensive history and physical examination. In addition, we may also request diagnostic tests such as an MRI or ultrasound.
The rotator cuff muscles and tendons hold your upper arm bone in your shoulder socket. A hard fall, repetitive arm motions or problems with the structure of your shoulder can injure the rotator cuff.
The Interventional Pain Doctors team of orthopedic and pain management specialists will create a personalized treatment plan for you. If your degree of pain and limitation of function is minimal and the rotator cuff tear is minimal we may prescribe anti-inflammatories and physical therapy. If your rotator cuff tear and degree of limitation are more advanced, in addition to physical therapy we may recommend regenerative medicine therapy. This may include PRP (platelet rich plasma) or stem cell injection under ultrasound guidance to help repair the damaged tissue. If your rotator cuff tear is complete and your function is severely affected, we may recommend arthroscopic surgery to correct and reattach a completely torn tendon. We combine this with a post-operative course of physical therapy to get you back to a healthy, functional state of activity.
Let us help you achieve a pain free life.