What would you suggest about having partial rotator cuff surgery and is this tear a high risk of increasing? i've just been diagnosis with a partial focal tear of the supraspinatus at insertion with most anchor fiber intact. after steriod injection, my ri

I : I don't have all the answers, but i might be able to clarify a few things. First of all, when a test is interpreted as showing a "tear", that implies damage that should be repaired. But rotator cuff tendinopathy is more like greying and hair loss--expected changes with age. I find the term "partial tear" particularly misleading and even sinister. It's really just a signal change on MRI due to the changes in the tendon. You don't state your age and sport. If you are a throwing athlete under 40 years of age, the process is different. Second, and to reinforce the first point, not all of these tendon changes cause pain. We know this from studies of patients with no shoulder pain and from studies of a patient's non-painful shoulder. Third, like greying and hair loss we do know that rotator cuff tendinopathy is progressive. Finally surgery does not cure the problem any more than hair plugs or rogain cures hair loss--it just patches things up for a bit. The larger the defect, the quicker it will recur. Surgery helps many people feel better, but you should not have surgery under the misconception that it is necessary.

MRI : Your surgeon examined you and saw your mri. He is the best guide, not internet. Unsure, get 2 nd opinion from another orthopedic surgeon. Good luck.