Rotator Cuff Injuries, How Physical Therapy Can Help, And More
by Julia Gregory
Your rotator cuff is made up of a group of tendons and muscles in your shoulder. The rotator cuff is what keeps the ball of your upper arm in the socket of your shoulder blade. It is also what helps you to move your arms away from your body and lift them in the air. However, the rotator cuff also takes on a lot of wear and tear over the years. It can end up giving you problems at some point. You can learn more about some possible issues you can experience with your rotator cuff, how physical therapy can help, and other information when you keep reading.
Rotator cuff tears due to degeneration
A common injury can happen when you tear it. This occurs when your tendon pulls away from the bone. There are many ways you can end up with a tear. In some cases, a sudden injury can cause the tear and in other cases, a tear happens due to the wearing down of the rotator cuff. The latter is known as a degenerative tear. Both types of injuries can often be helped with physical therapy.
One example of something that can increase someone's chances of ending up with a degenerative rotator cuff tear is golfing, since it requires so much use of the shoulders. Also, people who do a lot of work that has them moving their arms above their head a lot, such as construction workers, can commonly end up with a rotator cuff injury.
Some people are more prone to rotator cuff injuries due to their family histories. You want to be on the lookout for any signs you may be starting to have any issues. If you see any signs, then consider going to physical therapy right away. This will help you to learn how to make changes that can be beneficial to you.
Possible symptoms of a rotator cuff injury
A rotator cuff injury can cause weakness in your arm. With a degenerative tear, you can experience mild pain. As time goes on, that mild pain can get more intense until you are dealing with serious pain. However, with a rotator cuff tear that was caused by an injury, you can experience serious pain immediately. This type of injury will get more intense when you try to raise your arm. You may also hear a popping sound when you move your arm. Luckily, physical therapy can help you to learn how to do a lot of things you regularly need to do in ways that won't cause you as many issues with your rotator cuff.
Possible treatments for rotator cuff injuries
Some non-surgical treatments for a rotator cuff injury can include wearing a sling, taking anti-inflammatories, getting steroid injections, and physical therapy. Physical therapy can be one of the best types of treatment for many reasons. In physical therapy, you will learn things like how to do things in other ways to avoid putting added stress on your rotator cuff, how to move your arm to avoid as much pain, how to decrease the pain from the injury, and more. Also, physical therapy can help to improve your range of motion and help you to experience less pain.
Contact a physical therapist for more information about rotator cuff physical therapy.
Share
About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.