Shoulder injuries are becoming more common as the popularity of exercise and other athletic activities continues to grow. One injury that seems to be more widespread is rotator cuff injury. Most rotator cuff injuries are brought about by wear and tear on the shoulder muscles. What may start as tendonitis in a young patient, between the ages of 20 and 40 becomes more chronic, perhaps even degenerating into tendonosis in the 40 to 60 year old range. By the time the patient reaches age 60 and beyond, the likelihood of a tear becomes greater due to the continuum of the wear and tear. It is important to intervene early with conservative measures and try to eliminate the problem from progressing.
Rotator Cuff Injury
Injury can also occur in the rotator cuff as the result of a fall or some other spontaneous action. While a tear to the rotator cuff occurs less often than tendonitis or tendonosis, it does happen and active individuals should be made aware of the danger.
The rotator cuff is made up of a combination of four muscles and a tendon. The tendon inserts onto the bone of the upper arm. A tear happens when the muscles of the rotator cuff pull off the bone. The repair is done by fastening the muscles back to the bone with specialized anchors. If the tear is a small split in the tendon, it can sometimes be sutured to itself. However, if the tear occurs where the tendon inserts onto the bone and is pulled off, it then needs to be reattached to the bone. This procedure is often done arthroscopically with a laparoscope or small camera. Most rotator cuff repairs are done by fixing the tear and leaving it alone - it will heal itself.
Dislocated Shoulder
Another type of shoulder injury, although less common, is a dislocated shoulder. This happens when the shoulder pops out of place due to some significant trauma. The younger the individual is when it happens, the more likely the chance for reoccurrence. The rule of thumb is that if you dislocate your shoulder under the age of 20, there's a 95% chance it's going to happen again. Traumatic dislocations in athletes are being operated on more immediately because of new arthroscopic techniques that are now available.
In these cases, the goal of surgery is to tighten up the capsule around the shoulder joint.
Shoulder Fractures
Shoulder fractures are more common in older people, who are more prone to falls. Injuries can range from a simple nondisplaced fracture to a more severe comminuted fracture that blows apart the humeral head. Fractures that are not out of place can usually be treated with a sling, but if there is displacement, it needs to be fixed surgically with screws or pins. Shoulder injuries which disrupt the whole top of the shoulder are sometimes so severely destroyed that they have to be treated with a prosthetic or shoulder replacement.Arthritis of the Shoulder
The shoulder is not a weight bearing joint, so it doesn't take the same day-to-day stress that other joints do. As such, arthritis of the shoulder is not as common.