In Order To Understand A Rotator Cuff Impingement It Is Probably Best To Find Out More About The Make Up Of The Shoulder Joint And Problems That Can Beset It.
The shoulder joint comprises of three seperate bones, the upper arm bone or humerus, clavicle or collar bone and the scapula or shoulder blade. All of these bones make up the shoulder. Until I got a shoulder injury, I thought of my shoulder blade as a triangle of bone that sat on my back and stuck out if I pushed my elbows forward. I had never really thought about why it was shaped like that or what it did.
Actually, it is quite a complex design. At the top outer corner it has a cup of bone called the glenoid which forms the ball of the shoulder ball and socket joint. The shoulder blade also attaches to the collar bone at the top. This part of the shoulder blade is a hook of bone that curves over at the top called the Acromion.
In addition to the the bones of the shoulder there are seventeen different muscles which work the shoulder as well as ligaments and cartilage that all make up and hold together the shoulder joint.
The cuff is a group of four muscles that all fix to the shoulder blade at one end and the humerus at the other, surrounding the joint in a cuff of muscle . They all pull the ball at the head of the humerus into the socket of the shoulder joint. Because the socket of this joint is very shallow these muscles are necessary to hold the arm in place and stabilize the joint. Without them our shoulders could become easily dislocated.
One of these muscles, the supraspinatus runs through the hook of the acromion before attaching to the humerus. Try to imagine a thin tendon running through a channel of bone. If the channel narrows or the tendon gets inflamed the tendon can rub on the bone which will start to damage the tendon leaving it vulnerable to tearing or fraying. Think of it like an old rope being rubbed against a sharp edge, after a while the rope would begin to fray and if left long enough could actually snap.
The causes of rotator cuff impingement are similar to other injuries. Any injury or trauma to this particular tendon, that causes swelling, can set off a rotator cuff impingement. Arthritis can cause the channel to narrow and as we get older some of us actually grow bony spurs on the acromion that will narrow the channel and cause problems.
The symptoms of an impingement are pain in the shoulder especially when raising the arm above shoulder height or reaching up or out for something coupled with trouble sleeping at night. A simple test that your doctor may do for a shoulder impingement is to ask you to straighten your arm with the palm facing away from your body and then to raise it up. If this is painful then you probably have a rotator cuff impingement.
Do not ignore a shoulder impingement as this can bring on more serious problems. Treatment starts with rest and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the inflammation. Do Make sure that you avoid any overhead movements. If you work at something like plastering or painting you may need to modify how you work to do away with these movements. Once the muscles are rested and have started to get better you can begin therapy to build up the rotator cuff to help avoid further problems.
If symptoms persist or if the bone has changed shape then you are probably looking at surgery to correct it. This will involve keyhole surgery called a sub-acromial decompression where the surgeon cuts away a piece of bone to release the tendon.
Most rotator cuff impingements are solved without surgery but it is important to take this injury seriously and rest it, avoiding overhead movements. The pain you feel is telling you that more damage is being done so listen to your body and let it heal.
Nick Bryant is an older dad to a young family who suffered a www.myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com">rotator cuff injury which he was told would require corrective surgery. After reading up on the condition he managed a full recovery with just rest and the right sort of exercise. Read his full story at his blog www.myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com">www..myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com
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