Like most part of our bodies, we rarely stop to consider how our shoulders help us every day-enabling us to swing our arms, lift them, move them forward and back, and carry things. But the shoulder is literally a pivotal part of our body-and the rotator cuff inside is the muscle group that enables us to pivot our arms and gives us a good range of motion. The rotator cuff is actually four muscles-the teres minor, the subscapularis, supraspinatus, and the infraspinatus. These muscles hold the shoulder joint-comprised of a ball and socket-in proper placement and are key to maintaining that range of motion. You should know the signs and symptoms so you can recognize an injury-or worse yet a tear-in the rotator cuff and seek treatment to prevent a permanent disability.
One of the most well known torn rotator cuff symptoms is a persistent pain which refuses to go away with balms or pain killers. Generally, you will feel the pain on the back and top of the shoulder. There are times you may feel that the entire arm is aching since the pain may even radiate out. One of the most tell tale signs here is that the pain increases when you swing or lift your arm. The pain may even intensify when you sleep since you may be putting pressure on the affected shoulder.
Weakness will also accompany such an injury. You will start to lose strength in your arms-even for doing routine tasks like brushing your hair or getting dressed. That shoulder pain, combined with weakness in the arms, is a classic symptom of a torn rotator cuff.
Sometimes you may even hear some ‘popping’ sounds while lifting or lowering your shoulder. These sounds may be an indication that your rotator cuff is injured. Grating or cracking sounds while moving your arm may also indicate a tear in the rotator cuff.
Injuries to the rotator cuff typically start out small or are the result of repeated strain and overuse. As a result, symptoms can start out barely noticeable or seem to come on gradually. But if you fall or get a more jarring injury, you get the full brunt of the pain-complete with weakening and noises in the shoulder accompanied by steady pain. This can also indicate you’ve got a tear in your rotator cuff.
Generally older people experience this problem more than the younger generation. Excessive strain on the shoulders with time or the onset of repetitive stress syndrome may also cause injuries to this area. Most people ignore the torn rotator cuff symptoms at the early stages. They try to get rid of the pain by taking pain killers. However with time, the pain can become unbearable.
There are a variety of exercises and other cures for healing torn rotator cuff. If these torn rotator cuff symptoms become unbearable then you need to consult a doctor.
Tom Nicholson spends his time caring for sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. You can follow this link to learn more about having asore wrist.
