A 44-year-old member asked:
What is a torn rotator cuff tendon like?
3 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
A Verified Doctoranswered
46 years experience
Weakness, pain: You have weakness when trying to raise your arm over your head, associated with pain. Typically rotating your arm in or out (such as with putting on a shirt) is also painful. An MRI of your shoulder can diagnose it best.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Robert Coats IIanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 24 years experience
Painful and weak: A torn rotator cuff tendon is usually quite painful, especially at night or during forceful shoulder motion. The rotator cuff starts out as 4 individual muscle attached to the shoulder blade. As they approach there insertion onto the tuberosities of the humerus, they come together to make a tendonus cuff. When this cuff of tissue is torn, active shoulder motion becomes difficult. Needs surgery.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Shawn Hennigananswered
Orthopedic Surgery 28 years experience
Rotator cuff tear: Most common complaints associated with a rotator cuff tendon tear include pain in the upper arm, increases with lifting or reaching, pain at night, and sometimes weakness with lifting.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 40-year-old member asked:
What are the symptoms of a torn rotator cuff?
10 doctor answers • 16 doctors weighed in
Dr. Allen Luanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 25 years experience
Weakness: Not all rotator cuff tears have the same symptoms. Some tears prevent the shoulder from being stable enough to raise the arm up, causing weakness. Other tears cause enough pain to prevent specific motions. Other rotator cuff tears have stabilized in a way that there are very few symptoms and the patient never even knows there is a tear. The diagnosis needs to be individualized with your surgeon.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old female asked:
Torn rotator cuff?
3 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Allen Luanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 25 years experience
Rotator cuff repair: There are probably too many factors to consider here. At your age, the chances if having a full rotator cuff tear is less common, but if it has occurred, we would recommend an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. A rotator cuff typically tears at the tendon close to where it meets the bone, and cannot heal on its own. Certainly you should be seen by a specialist and evaluated fully!
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Peter Ihle commented
Orthopedic Surgery 55 years experience
I am old school, & do all cuff repairs open. faster, better groove making, & better anchor placement & better knots.
Sep 15, 2013
Dr. Peter Ihle commented
Orthopedic Surgery 55 years experience
my purely arthroscopic repair failed early without trauma.
Sep 15, 2013
Last updated Jan 17, 2019
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