CHS 100 Focus Group: Rotator Cuff by Grishm Melwani

Who is most likely??

kspresle — 2025-01-21 23:09:08 UTC

Rotator cuff injury is the second leading injury in volleyball behind ACL tears. It comes from the over use of one shoulder more than the other. They can come from the three main motor skills used for this sport that include serving , spiking , and blocking.

Rotator Cuff - Football audience

gmelwani — 2025-01-21 23:09:24 UTC

Football players are very likely to run into rotator cuff injuries. Some ways this can happen is by blocking across your body, throwing a football repetitively, or getting tackled in the wrong position.

Causes of Rotator Cuff Injuries

ragonz47 — 2025-01-21 23:09:58 UTC

The major causes of rotator cuff injuries come from playing sports and manual labor. These activities cause major strain to the body, especially to the specific area of the rotator cuff, therefore creating these types of injuries.

ROTATOR CUFF INJURY

adaggub1 — 2025-01-21 23:10:44 UTC

THE FOCUS PROBLEM FOR OUR GROUP IS ROTATOR CUFF INJURY.

Rotator Cuff Injury: Cause- Age

cwhitlock09 — 2025-01-21 23:12:45 UTC

Rotator cuff injuries become more common after the age of 60. This is due to the possibility of smaller tears occurring throughout a persons lifetime that accumulate and cause a more serious injury.

Anatomical Structures Affected

ragonz47 — 2025-01-28 21:58:15 UTC

The subscapularis muscle is the most common anatomical structure that is injured when a rotator cuff injury occurs. This muscle is located on the front of the shoulder blade and is part of the shoulder joint.

Anatomical Structures Affected: Teres Minor

cwhitlock09 — 2025-01-28 22:04:29 UTC

The teres minor is a stabilizer of the rotator cuff as it extends from the lateral border of the scapula to the greater tuberosity of the humeral head. This specific muscle works to stabilize the ball and socket joint of the shoulder.

What is the cause and affect for this injury?

kspresle — 2025-01-28 22:06:11 UTC

Rotator cuff injuries can cause many different issue after the first major tear. For example degenerate process, traumatic events and biomechanical factors that can affect this injury in the future. Wear and Tear is a big one and also Age can affect how your body reacts to the injury over time.

adaggub1 — 2025-01-28 22:43:07 UTC

Rotator cuff injuries can set off a chain reaction of events that is influenced by a variety of mechanisms over time. The injury can cause deterioration in the shoulder, such as tendon fraying and weakening, especially in elderly people. Recurrent strain may aggravate the illness, while abnormalities, such as abnormal shoulder movement patterns, can worsen the damage. Wear and tear from overuse or chronic tension on the shoulder joint contributes significantly to the long-term repercussions of a rotator cuff injury.

Symptom: Range of Motion

cwhitlock09 — 2025-02-04 21:56:41 UTC

The range of motion of the shoulder is commonly affected by a rotator cuff injury. This means there could be difficulty when reaching above the head, or behind your back.

Symptom: Weakness of shoulder

cwhitlock09 — 2025-02-04 22:00:14 UTC

Weakness in the shoulder is highly likely if there is an injury to the muscles within the rotator cuff. Lifting anything with substantial weight may become increasingly difficult.

Diagnosis: Physical Exam

ragonz47 — 2025-02-04 22:04:15 UTC

Individuals who have suffered from a rotator cuff injury can be diagnosed using many different techniques. One of these is a basic physical examination. During a physical examination, the individual who has suffered the injury may be asked to perform a set of tasks/tests. Based on the individual's ability to complete these tasks and if pain is experienced during the tests the physician will be able to diagnose if a rotator cuff injury has occurred.

Treatment Plan: Physical Therapy / Heat and Ice Therapy

ragonz47 — 2025-02-04 22:06:06 UTC

Rotator cuff injuries are seen frequently among athletes as well as individuals who do manual labor. Treatment for a rotator cuff injury can range from a multitude of different options depending on the severity of the injury. One common way the injury is treated is with physical therapy and ice/heat therapy.

Treatment Option (SURGERY)

kspresle — 2025-02-04 22:10:00 UTC

Surgery is an option for treating a rotator cuff injury depending on the severity of the tear. This is one of the more invasive methods of healing and typically involves a prolonged recovery process. Additionally, surgery comes with risks and potential complications that can arise after the procedure.

Diagnosis Options (MRI or X-RAY)

kspresle — 2025-02-04 22:11:23 UTC

One main way that patients are diagnosed with rotator cuff injuries is special imaging. For example if you go into the doctor with severe shoulder pain he could order specialized imaging such as MRI and X-ray to see what is going on below the surface. This form of imaging can be very helpful with seeing the extent of a musculoskeletal injury.

Symptom: Shoulder Pain

gmelwani — 2025-02-04 22:48:20 UTC

Many times when an injury occurs to the rotator cuff a common symptom to experience is shoulder pain (discomfort or ache) throughout daily life activities, especially if your shoulder is also limited with its range of motion

Symptom: Weakness and Limited Shoulder Mobility

adaggub1 — 2025-02-04 22:51:33 UTC

A rotator cuff injury can impact your ability to perform everyday tasks, often leading to discomfort, weakness, and difficulty lifting or rotating your arm. While pain is a common symptom, some individuals may also experience a grinding or clicking sensation in the shoulder, especially when reaching overhead or behind the back. Ignoring these signs can worsen the condition over time, making early diagnosis and proper treatment crucial for recovery.

Long Term Effects: Arthritis

ragonz47 — 2025-02-11 21:05:02 UTC

Rotator cuff injuries although are not life threatening they do have long term effects. Treatment of the injury can heal the shoulder to an extent but one common lasting effect is shoulder arthritis. About 50% of individuals who suffer a severe rotator cuff tear develop arthritis. Individuals who experience this lasting side effect the most are those who go untreated or those individuals who are elderly.

Long Term Effects: Significant Shoulder Weakness

gmelwani — 2025-02-11 21:48:42 UTC

A common long term effect of rotator cuff injuries is shoulder weakness. On the less extreme side it could just be pain impacting your daily life, but on the severe end it could lead to further degeneration of the shoulder joint, which can limit daily activities even more than just a slight pain.

Long Term Effects: Reduced Range of Motion

kspresle — 2025-02-11 21:53:05 UTC

One of the most notable side effects with this injury is reduced range of motion. After some have had a full reconstruction of there shoulder it tends to not move the same as it once does. There are rehab programs to gain some of the range back but nothing is guaranteed. This can be a life long effect that can potentially affect the rest of your life after this major injury and reconstruction.

Physical Therapy

cwhitlock09 — 2025-02-18 22:10:36 UTC

The prescription of physical therapy without insurance is $80-$150 per session, with insurance it can be from $20-$60. A majority of physical therapy perceptions are covered by insurance. If a rotor cuff injury is untreated it can cause long term arthritis in their shoulder that can cause the need for more money being put into healing their shoulder.

Medication

kspresle — 2025-02-18 22:16:50 UTC

Medication is a long term treatment that could be needed after a major shoulder surgery. Medication over the counter or prescribed can be very expensive depending on the drug. Medication is not usually covered constantly. You might be able to get it the first time but will have to pay for a refill. Overall this form of long term medication can be very expensive and detrimental to one's health. Meds can range from 5- 20 dollars for the cheaper end. With this type of injury we are looking at 100-200 dollars. If they do not take this route the pain might become unbearable.

Surgical Repair

adaggub1 — 2025-02-18 22:19:09 UTC

Surgical repair of a rotator cuff injury is frequently required for severe or full-thickness rips that do not heal with conservative therapies. The operation involves reattaching the severed tendon to the bone, which can be done either open surgery or minimally invasive arthroscopy. Rotator cuff surgery costs between $6,000 and $15,000 without insurance, while insured patients often pay deductibles, copays, or co-insurance, depending on their plan. Most insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover the operation when it is judged medically necessary. However, postponing or avoiding surgical treatment can result in chronic pain, considerable loss of shoulder strength and function, and increasing joint deterioration, potentially leading to disorders such as cuff tear arthropathy, which need more comprehensive intervention.

Surgery

ragonz47 — 2025-02-18 22:20:35 UTC

The cost of surgery performed to fix a rotator cuff injury ranges from $4,000 to $25,000. The value varies for multiple reasons. Some of these include what kind of facility the surgery is performed in, different insurance policies, as well as the specifics of what is done during the surgery. The surgery is usually covered if the injury is deemed to impair daily functions and causes chronic pain, as well as if the injury does not heal with different treatments tried before surgery. The likelihood of if a rotator cuff surgery will be covered by insurance is dependent on these factors. If an individual does not seek this treatment and it is deemed necessary individuals will continue to experience chronic and permanent pain, limited motion of the shoulder, arthritis, and tearing of muscles may worsen over time.

Surgery

ragonz47 — 2025-02-18 22:21:35 UTC

The cost of surgery performed to fix a rotator cuff injury ranges from $4,000 to $25,000. The value varies for multiple reasons. Some of these include what kind of facility the surgery is performed in, different insurance policies, as well as the specifics of what is done during the surgery. The surgery is usually covered if the injury is deemed to impair daily functions and causes chronic pain, as well as if the injury does not heal with different treatments tried before surgery. The likelihood of if a rotator cuff surgery will be covered by insurance is dependent on these factors. If an individual does not seek this treatment and it is deemed necesary individuals will continue to experience chronic and permanent pain, limited motion of the shoulder, arthritis, and tearing of muscles may worsen.

Support Group

cwhitlock09 — 2025-02-25 21:59:38 UTC

A group of people who have experienced similar issues as you, in this case those who have experienced a rotator cuff injury. The group meets and is commonly facilitated by a leader or a physical therapist. This group is primarily focused on venting and a sense of community in those who have similar experiences.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation Treatment: Pain Management Therapy

ragonz47 — 2025-02-25 22:02:46 UTC

One form of Psychosocial rehabilitation treatment for those who have suffered a rotator cuff injury would be pain management therapy. In these treatments patients would learn different exercises that would help the affected individuals minimize or eliminate their pain. A pain management specialist would be needed to complete this type of treatment and would work directly with the patient. The specialist would teach relaxation techniques as well as mindfulness exercises. A main focus would be to find chronic pain coping skills that would help the patients during daily life. This type of treatment would be aimed at treating pain that occurs everyday so in short term to help the individual immediately during the day but in long term something that could be used for a long duration of time.

Occupational Therapy Exercises: Rotator Cuff

gmelwani — 2025-03-04 21:55:39 UTC

Performing exercises such as external banded rotations provide strength and can help increase range of motion in the rotator cuff.

Physical Therapy: Pain Management

kspresle — 2025-03-04 22:01:50 UTC

This form of therapy can come in handy directly after the surgery. You have a brand new shoulder and there are gone be some aches and pains. This form of therapy is there to help manage the pain and stress on your new shoulder.

Life Style Changes that are needed

kspresle — 2025-03-18 22:49:07 UTC

One life style change that can be needed to be beneficial for someone with this type of injury is light exercise and stretching to prevent the build up of scar tissue

Speech Hearing and Cognitive Rehabilitation and Rotator Cuff Injuries

gmelwani — 2025-03-25 21:59:56 UTC

None of these rehabilitative techniques are necessary due to the fact that a rotator cuff injury has nothing to do with speech, hearing, or cognitive function.

Strength Training

ragonz47 — 2025-04-01 21:50:22 UTC

One preventative measure that can be taken in order to avoid suffering from a rotator cuff injury is strength training. This would include working out the muscles in the shoulder region and focusing on strengthening the surrounding muscles in order to increase stability in the shoulder. A shoulder that is stronger has a lower risk of experiencing an injury. Working out these muscles also strengthens the joint as well as increases mobility and flexibility of the shoulder itself. Any issues an individual might experience when trying to implement this preventative measure could include lack of knowledge on what exercises to incorporate into their routine as well as not having access to the appropriate equipment to workout these muscles efficiently.

Proper Warm Up

gmelwani — 2025-04-01 21:55:17 UTC

Another thing that can be done to help prevent rotator cuff injuries are proper warm ups to the 4 rotator cuff muscles. Things such as external rotations, internal rotations, and setting shoulders before putting strain on the rotator cuff can help prevent injury.

Public Health Preventative Measure: Warm Up Exercises

gmelwani — 2025-04-08 22:02:29 UTC

Before performing physical activity, it should be advised to warm up the 4 rotator cuff muscles specifically. These warm ups can easily be found on youtube. This would be the easiest preventative measure to prevent rotator cuff injuries.

Workplace Ergonomics

cwhitlock09 — 2025-04-08 22:06:09 UTC

For the rotator cuff specifically the work place can implement training for lifting heavy things to avoid a shoulder injury. Other things like desks that are at a level that takes strain off the shoulder. Issues that could arise from this is employees not listening or using the accommodations given.

Rotator cuff technology - Shoulder brace (preventative)

gmelwani — 2025-04-15 21:53:39 UTC

A shoulder brace can help prevent rotator cuff injuries by limiting excessive range of motion. This can be used for any athlete with a week rotator cuff or anyone recovering from a rotator cuff injury that cannot move their shoulder in excessive or unnatural ways.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)-Diagnose

ragonz47 — 2025-04-15 21:59:57 UTC

One type of technology that can be used to diagnose a rotator cuff injury is an MRI machine. This type of technology allows for non-invasive imaging to be taken of soft tissue. This can include muscles along with tendons. The MRI is able to take these images by using radio waves and the magnetic field within the machine. Although MRI machines have revolutionized how we are able to obtain imaging of injuries there are some draw backs. Taking images and utilizing this device can be very expensive and paying to get MRI scans can limit individuals ability to have access to this type of care.

Special Populations: Manual Laborers

ragonz47 — 2025-04-22 22:01:50 UTC

One population of individuals who is susceptible to sustaining a rotator cuff injury is those who do manual labor. These individuals are put under constant physical strain and their jobs are very demanding on their bodies. The conditions they work under make them more inclined to experience a rotator cuff injury. Individuals who work in physical labor may experience hardships when trying to be diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury or receive treatment because of how expensive MRI scans can be that diagnose the injury as well as the amount of time needed to take off to heal the injury. A rotator cuff injury can be a financial burden and the needed time to heal can be too long for some to take off of work.

Special Populations: Older Adults (Ages 60+)

adaggub1 — 2025-04-22 22:06:03 UTC

Rotator cuff injuries are more common in older persons because their tendons gradually weaken with age. Even simple actions can result in shoulder injuries due to weakened tendons. They have difficulty receiving appropriate care because they may believe the pain is caused by aging and delay seeing a doctor. It's also more difficult for them to heal rapidly, and surgery or therapy may not be as effective due to the slower recovery and decreased strength.

Special Population: Athlete's

kspresle — 2025-04-22 22:08:38 UTC

One of the main special populations that can be affected by a rotator cuff injury are athletes. Some of these sports include volleyball,baseball, tennis, swimming, basketball, and golf. These sports have been known to show progressive wear and tear on the cuff.Athletes can be at a greater risk due to the continuous stress but on a certain set of muscles. I think Volleyball and Baseball can be at a greater risk due to the fact that there whole sport dose rely on the health of their shoulder.Challenges that can arise is the mental health of the athlete. The amount of time that they will have to spend out of their sport due to surgery and recovery time.