| First let's find out what shoulder tendonitis or rotator | | | | physical therapy to strengthen the muscles of the |
| cuff tendonitis is? There are several other names | | | | rotator cuff. If the pain is too great to start physical |
| that this can be called. Some are known as tennis | | | | therapy a steroid injection (cortisone) may reduce |
| shoulder, pitcher's shoulder and even a shoulder | | | | pain and inflammation enough to start effective |
| impingement. These are all common names for a | | | | therapy. |
| very similar problem. | | | | If there is a tear in the rotator cuff or therapy has |
| So what is it? Shoulder tendonitis or rotator cuff | | | | not helped and symptoms persist, shoulder surgery |
| tendonitis is the inflammation and can be an irritation | | | | may be necessary. For most shoulder surgery, this |
| and swelling of the tendons of the shoulder. The | | | | can be accomplished with arthroscopic surgery. This |
| shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint. The top | | | | type of surgery is effective in removing the bone |
| part of the arm bone (humerus) forms a joint with | | | | spur and inflamed tissue around the shoulder. |
| the shoulder blade (scapula). The rotator cuff holds | | | | You can also treat small tears with shoulder tendonitis |
| the head of the humerus into the scapula. | | | | surgery and arthroscopic surgery. There are even |
| What is the most common cause of rotator cuff | | | | some new techniques that allow even large tears to |
| tendonitis? | | | | be repaired with arthroscopic surgery. Now there are |
| A lot of the time the problem occurs with sports. | | | | some large tears that are going to require open |
| Inflammation of the tendons of the shoulder muscles | | | | surgery to repair the torn tendon. |
| occur in sports using the arm being moved over the | | | | Shoulder Tendonitis Surgery Expectations |
| head repeatedly. Such sports are tennis, baseball | | | | Once the shoulder tendonitis surgery is completed |
| (pitching mainly) swimming and even lifting weights | | | | and the bone spur or tear has been repaired |
| over the head. What happens sometimes is you get | | | | arthroscopic ally, you can expect the use of the |
| the inflammation or injury and can cause the tendons | | | | shoulder to pre-injury levels. The activities that you |
| of the rotator cuff to tear. Sometimes this occurs in | | | | performed prior to the injury should be able to |
| people over 40 years of age. | | | | perform them once again. |
| Some of the symptoms | | | | There are a couple of factors in determining the |
| Pain when the arm is moved | | | | success of the shoulder tendonitis surgery. People |
| Arm is weak when rising over your head | | | | with tears of their rotator cuff that have had the |
| Pain in shoulder at night, especially when lying on the | | | | shoulder tendonitis surgery (arthroscopic) will do well. |
| affected shoulder. | | | | It will depend upon the size and the duration of the |
| Pain in arm when performing overhead activities | | | | tear. The age of the patient will also have a bearing |
| How to find out if you have shoulder tendonitis | | | | on the outcome and what the pre-injury level of |
| X-ray's or MRI. X-ray's can show a burn spur. The | | | | function was. |
| MRI can show the inflammation in the rotator cuff. | | | | So there are some things that you can do and the |
| There could also be a tear in the rotator cuff and | | | | success of the shoulder tendonitis surgery should |
| the MRI will show this. | | | | have a successful outcome in most cases. In another |
| Shoulder Tendonitis Surgery | | | | article I will discuss the rehabilitation of shoulder |
| Before shoulder tendonitis surgery, you should try | | | | tendonitis surgery. |