Shoulder Pain: How Often Are Rotator Cuff Tears Asymptomatic?
Your shoulder begins to hurt, and your doctor orders an MRI that shows tears in the rotator cuff. This is definitely causing your shoulder pain, right? Not necessarily. Let’s dig in. Credit: Shutterstock The Rotator Cuff Your shoulder has muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint called the rotator cuff. These are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. These muscles help to move and stabilize your shoulder. These tendons can be torn, and that injury is called a rotator cuff tear. These tears happen more often in older patients, usually in their 50s-70s. Tears can occur with trauma or just happen because of wear and tear. The pain is generally felt in the shoulder, and using that joint causes pain. A Common Scenario A very common clinical scenario is a 55-year-old patient who starts noticing shoulder pain while sleeping or being active. There isn’t any specific trauma, but the patient is given a steroid shot in the shoulder to help the p...