There are several risks of injury for the rotator cuff.
And while we tend to think it is mostly from repeated movement, falls or athletic endeavors there is a sneaky way to get muscular problems as well. It’s the underlying thing that tends to creep up again and again in muscle and joint problems. Follow along as we discuss causes, risk factors and how the shoulder moves and why learning this is helpful to your own journey.
Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy Is Likely When:
- Lateral upper arm pain
- Pain with overhead activity
- Painful arc
- Local tenderness
- Night pain
- Pain with resisted ER or abduction
These are all movements or about pain, but let’s keep digging.
We know that tissue health maintenance is controlled by two factors: load (exercise) and nutrients (blood flow). As we have learned that the tissues of the shoulder can be injured by impact, trauma and other outside or unpredictable events we also know that many of the risks toward the condition occur because of metabolic conditions.
Now I know that would not be enough of a reason for some to work towards improving things like diabetes or high cholesterol, but for the sake of improving your metabolic health for the sake of your long term life.
I get it that we are a muscle and joint clinic, but we see that there is an overlap of metabolic conditions into the world of musculoskeletal. It bears an understanding of what to expect from a metabolic standpoint.
Recent research out there speaks of the ever growing evidence on those receiving surgery for a rotator cuff tear and seeing a high percentage of them with high cholesterol, diabetes and/or arterial hypertension. So when a person says that their rotator cuff symptoms recently slowly onset one of the potential causes potentially has less to do with a repetitive movement or trauma.
As part of a more well rounded treatment plan if you aren’t addressing your nutritional health then you are missing a key area of health.
You may have heard of the update to the food pyramid approved by the government. Now regardless of our opinions about certain governmental sides this is about how long evidence takes to be put into larger practice. The reason I bring this up is that what has been used as current evidence and into current day practices in the health realm has taken years to see an update through any governing body. The same occurs with information on a health and rehab front.
HOW DOES THE SHOULDER ROTATOR CUFF EVEN WORK?
The shoulder is such a dynamic joint in how it functions. What we see from the outside view is an appendage that moves through almost a full circle. From an internal perspective we see that the rotator cuff helps with joint stability. If the shoulder blade is stable and the muscles of the shoulder activate it pulls the arm bone closer into itself.
The muscles of the shoulder allow for both large movements along with control of the upper body. As we are a busy and active people there is a need for those muscles to work well and stay healthy.
Learning that the muscles that control the rotation aspect of the shoulder we begin to see that there are muscles that help support or stabilize the scapula so those muscles can work more efficiently, which is the name of the game for human biology.
As we look at the anatomy of the shoulder we see that the closest muscles to the joint are rotational control where the second layers outward work towards line direction primarily. Meaning the rotator cuff muscles are most in control of the speed and stabilization of the glenoid of the humerus onto the concave aspect of the shoulder blade.
As rehab is concerned we need to make sure the supporting structures and muscles are functioning well and that the RC rotator cuff can work properly and not be out of balance.
Articles of Reference:
A Hamid MS, Sazlina SG. Platelet-rich plasma for rotator cuff tendinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2021 May 10;16(5):e0251111. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251111. PMID: 33970936; PMCID: PMC8109792.
Gumina S, Orsina L, Song HS, Kim H, Bartocci D, Candela V. Rotator Cuff Tear Size: Could It Be Influenced by the Presence of One or More Diseases Capable of Altering the Peripheral Microcirculation? J Clin Med. 2024 Oct 7;13(19):5965. doi: 10.3390/jcm13195965. PMID: 39408025; PMCID: PMC11477902.
Preziosi Standoli J, Candela V, Gumina S. Rotator Cuff Tear and Associated Risk Factors. The Mutual Role of Medical Conditions. Sports Med Arthrosc Rev. 2025 Jun 1;33(2):54-60. doi: 10.1097/JSA.0000000000000401. Epub 2024 Oct 15. PMID: 39733289