Rotator Cuff Injury
Bowling in cricket, pitching in baseball, swimming, kayaking and many other sports involve the rotation of shoulder. This rotation of the shoulder is enabled and dynamically stabilized with the help of the Rotator Cuff, which is the anatomical term given to the group of muscles and their tendons covering the upper arm bone. When over exerted, the rotator cuff can suffer from serious damage. These injuries can be classified into Tears of the tendons/muscles and Inflammation of the structures in the joint.
Rotator Cuff Problems
Rotator cuff can suffer from inflammation or tear following a strain to the shoulder and this may lead to pain and restricted movement. The damages rotator cuff can suffer from are:
Inflammation: This is most frequently diagnosed among women of 35 to 50 years of age. An inflammation in the rotator cuff can be recognized through a characteristic pain in the shoulder that seems to be deep down. It starts as a slight pain that gradually becomes unbearable. Certain areas of the shoulder become tender and flare up when that particular arm is moved or lifted above the head. If not treated at the right time the inflammation can lead to become a chronic tear.
Acute Tear: A sudden and powerful movement like a powerful pitch/throw can as well lead to an acute tear. A sudden, tearing feeling would spread through the arm followed by a severe pain if the shoulder has suffered from an acute tear. This would invariably lead to limited movement of the shoulder. The point of rupture might also seem a little tender than the rest of the shoulder. At times if the tear is severe one might not be able to lift the shoulder without help.
Chronic Tear: This is the most frequently found rotator cuff injury and is most usually an affliction of forty plus age group. The pain of the similar nature, it worsens as the day passes by. It might lead to major weaknesses too.
Consult a doctor if the pain persists more than three days and if there is inability to lift or swing the arm making movement of the shoulder limited.
Doctors would ask your medical history, compare both your shoulders and would perform detailed tests to assess if it is rotator cuff injury or some other problem and which tendon is suffering from the tear.
What can you do in addition to the treatment for the Rotator Cuff Injury?
The most ideal way to support the medication you are taking for the rotator cuff injury is to consult a physiotherapist and design a personal exercise regime that would be in accordance to your medication. However a few activities that can commonly aid the betterment of rotator cuff injury are:
- Applying ice at least 3 times a day for 15 to 20 minutes with the help of an appropriate ice bag or a towel in which you can wrap the ice to avoid ice burn
- Enough rest for the arm. In case you need to attend work or studies a sling might help to support the injured arm
- In order to improve shoulder movement walking your fingers up the wall or a door will help. Also holding a stick in both hands and then using the better hand to rotate the stick will help the injured shoulder take little movement with minimal stress.
- Warmth/heat and massage may well be suggested when the condition of your shoulder starts improving.
- Medication might include anti-inflammatory medicines and steroids directly into the site of the problem to help you continue the exercises.
If the injury is very serious and you are at a young age (under 60 years) then the doctors might suggest surgery. But a surgery is done only when the other treatments fail to give the desired results. Such decisions are frequently taken for the benefit of sportspersons as it ensures quick recovery. It is very rare that tears are beyond surgical repair also or that they don’t recover even after a surgery. A much more conservative treatment excluding a surgery might take longer time to heal your body of the tear.