Do I need Surgery for a Rotator Cuff Problem?

A rotator cuff is an integral factor behind your flexible arm mobility. So, any kind of accidental or health-induced injury to the area can result in permanent impacts to the free movement of the arm and inflict chronic pain.

Here, we will discuss everything that you need to know about rotator cuff injuries, the severity along with the treatment options.

Table Of Contents

Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye

1. What is the Rotator Cuff?
2. Causes of Rotator Cuff Problems
3. When to See a Doctor?
4. Rotator Cuff Injury Treatment

Take Away

1. What is the Rotator Cuff?

The rotator cuff comprises a group of tendons and muscles that are present around the shoulder joint, holding the bone of the upper arm in a fixture around its allocated socket. The injuries inflicted to this part of this body are either relayed via trauma or sometimes caused by the rigorous wear and tear of the surrounding bones in the shoulder.

The symptoms of a rotator cuff injury generally start with dull and consistent stiffness around the shoulders, which gradually get worse over time, especially if left untreated. While the injuries from accidents aren’t bound by age, some of the wear and tear of the muscles and bones around the rotator cuff happens with aging.

Individuals who deal with consistent overheat motions at work, including a painter and carpenter, are more subjected to the risks of rotator cuff injuries. Some people with rotator cuff disease can manage their symptoms over time, with proper precautions and treatment, without needing surgery.

2. Causes of Rotator Cuff Problems

Broadly the rotator cuff tears can be divided into degenerative and traumatic tears.

While rotator cuff injuries are caused due to a sudden impact or accident, rotator cuff disease is a result of long term wear and tear of the muscles and tendons around the shoulder joints, especially with age. Hence a young person may develop a tear due to injury while a middle aged and elderly person can have a degenerative tear due to long standing disease which has not been treated adequately.

Even activities involving overhead working motions and heavy-lifting put a strain on the rotator cuff, resulting in pain and inflammation in the long run.

3. When to See a Doctor?

The commonest symptom of early disease is pain in the shoulder radiating down the upper arm area on raising the arm overhead . This is called impingement of the shoulder. Also you may have pain in the affected shoulder while lying on that side or sleep disturbances due to pain. Consider seeing a doctor if:

• You are above the age of 60
• You have a family history of rotator cuff injuries and diseases
• You work at jobs that involve repetitive motions, heavy lifting, or overhead motions
• You experience consistent pain and numbness down the side of the arm after an injury.

Not getting the best rotator cuff treatment in Gurgaon will eventually lead to permanent or long-lasting damage like permanent immobility (secondary frozen shoulder) or progressive degeneration of the shoulder joint.

If you’ve sustained any kind of injuries that have impacted the side of your shoulder or directly affected the shoulder joint, consult an experienced doctor without fail.

4. Can a Rotator Cuff be healed or Strengthened without Surgery?

If you are consulting a doctor for the injury or discomfort you are feeling, they will likely suggest undergoing a few preliminary tests for prompt diagnosis of the issue. They will test the strength around the rotator cuff and the shoulder muscles to check how the injury has impacted the overall mobility of the patient.

In some severe cases, you need to consult the best bone specialist in Gurgaon. They will suggest getting an X-ray or MRI done for a closer look at the site of the injury.

Depending on the reports, the doctor suggests either nonoperative or operative treatment.

Nonoperative Methods include

Oral medicines and Physiotherapy

A short course of antiinflammatory medicines and tendon strengthening nutritional supplements along with Physiotherapy is usually prescribed in the first instance to most of the patients. The aim is to reduce pain and inflammation in the cuff and strengthen the rotator muscles. Most of the patients will respond to this treatment.

Steroid Injections

In some patients If the oral medicines fail to reduce inflammation then a subacromial anti inflammatory steroid can be injected and once pain and swelling come down then physiotherapy to strengthen the cuff is started .

Operative treatment

In a small subset of patients who have delayed the treatment the rotator cuff gets severely inflamed and can develop complete tears. Also it may be a complete tear following a severe injury in some patients.

If the cuff is torn completely, then undergoing the best surgery for a rotator cuff in Gurgaon is required to restore its function and prevent the risks of arthritis with loss of function ( cuff tear arthropathy) in the shoulder.

Some of the common procedures done are

Arthroscopic tendon repair - This is the most commonly performed surgery for cuff tears.In this procedure, the surgeon inserts an arthroscope through the small incisions that are made around the shoulders to then reattach the torn tendon and muscles around the rotator cuff to the bone with special threads called Suture Anchors.

Mini open tendon repair - If there is a small tear then sometimes the cuff repair can be done by a very small cosmetic incision.

Tendon transfer - If the tendon of the rotator cuff is damaged beyond repair, the surgeons extract a nearby tendon as a replacement and then reattaches the same to the bone.

Shoulder replacement - Last and the most crucial and rigorous rotator cuff surgery is shoulder replacement. In such cases, reverse shoulder arthroplasty is done to reinstate the flexibility of the ball joint of the shoulder blade and ensures faster healing and better mobility after an injury.

Takeaway

Rotator cuff injury is extremely incapacitating in the long run, especially if left untreated. So, if you have been in an accident that has had impacts on the shoulder and the adjoining areas, it is always better to consult a doctor or surgeon immediately to get a proper diagnosis and eventual treatment for faster and effective recovery.