Extensive use of body parts may put them in danger after years of use. People using the shoulders frequently face the risk of experiencing shoulder pain or a condition referred to as rotator cuff syndrome. The shoulder pain becomes so acute that the patient becomes unable to move his shoulder or arms beyond a certain point.
Freestyle swimming, basketball, javelin throwing, shot-put throwing, weight lifting, and tennis can cause rotator cuff syndrome in athletes and sports persons. People involved in certain occupations are also prone to this condition. These vocations include but are not limited to: tree pruning, fruit picking, nursing, grocery clerking, longshoring, and warehousing.
Four muscles namely: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis surround the shoulder. Any of the four muscles that form the shoulder could be involved in a rotator cuff syndrome. Most tears are associated with the supraspinatus muscle. It's not the muscle but the muscle tendon that experiences a tear leading to rotator cuff syndrome. The condition may start with a small tear. Minor pain may be present in the patient for years in such cases. There may also appear a sudden big tear in the shoulder tendons due to a spurt in shoulder activity.
People suffering from rotator cuff syndrome are mostly advised non-operative treatment. Applying of pain relief creams to the affected area, ice packs, taking pain relieving anti inflammatory pills or injections, adequate rest, and desisting from shoulder related activities are advised to patients.
Rotator cuff rehab programs include mild physical therapy involving the shoulder. Steroids are given in certain cases to relive pain too. In extreme cases surgery is performed to cure rotator cuff syndrome. A magnetic resonance imagery or MRI scan determines whether or not surgery is required for treating the condition.
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