Is it common to get cortisone shots for a tear in the rotator cuff?

Yes.: Cortisone or other steroid injections are common treatments for shoulder pain, related to rotator cuff injuries. Partial thickness rotator cuff tears and shoulder impingement syndrome respond well to steroid injections. Full thickness rotator cuff tears will remain painful and weak after injections and therapy. Only surgery can repair a full thickness rotator cuff tear.

Yes but....: There was a group of surgeons who got together to discuss this very point. They were unable to come to a consensus agreement. In general, cortisone is harmful and toxic to the tenocytes or cells that maintain the collagen in the rotator cuff tendon. I tend to avoid injections in patients with partial tears, or patients who are about to undergo rotator cuff tear. It will relieve pain temporarily.