Rotator Cuff Tear

Rotator Cuff Tear

Rotator cuff tears are tears of one or more of the four tendons of the rotator cuff muscles. A rotator cuff injury can include any type of irritation or damage to the rotator cuff muscles or tendons.

Rotator cuff tears are among the most common conditions affecting the shoulder.

The tendons of the rotator cuff, not the muscles, are most commonly torn. Of the four tendons, the supraspinatus is most frequently torn as it passes below the acromion; the tear usually occurs at its point of insertion onto the humeral head at the greater tubercule.

The main functions of the cuff are to stabilize the glenohumeral joint and rotate the humerus outward. When shoulder trauma occurs, these functions can be attenuated, therefore suggesting a rotator cuff tear. Since individuals are highly dependent on the shoulder for many activities, overuse and overbearing of the muscles can lead to tears, with the vast majority of these tears occurring in the supraspinatus tendon.