Cuff Tendonitis

Cuff Tendonitis - What It Is And How To Treat It

Rotator cuff tendonitis is a fairly common sports injury, especially in people over 40. For that reason, cuff tendonitis is also known as tennis shoulder, swimmer's shoulder, and pitcher's shoulder. The condition is often the result of repetitive movement of the arm over the head like when pitching baseball.

Cuff tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendons in the shoulder area. These tendons become inflamed from misuse. Sometimes the tendons can tear. You do not have to be a sports buff to get cuff tendonitis. Sometimes you can injure the tendon by simply turning over in bed or landing on your shoulder when you fall.

Cuff tendonitis is classified as acute or chronic. Chronic tendonitis can develop over years and afflicts people who perform the same overhead motion repeatedly, like weight lifters and athletes. Acute cuff tendonitis is the result of an injury that stretches, tears, or ruptures the tendons in your shoulder.

Symptoms of chronic cuff tendonitis include shoulder pain that is worse at night, pain that worsens over time, shoulder weakness, and inability to lift the arm out to the side or over the head. Acute cuff tendonitis causes sudden severe pain and muscle spasms. The tendon may bleed and cause bruising.

Treatment for cuff tendonitis depends upon how severe the damage is. You may be able to treat the injury at home by using ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and ice packs to relieve pain and swelling. Tears in the tendon may require surgical repair. In either case, the tendon must be allowed to rest in order to heal.

Physical therapy is used to treat tendonitis and to help prevent it from recurring. Exercises are prescribed that strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. If pain is too severe to do the exercises, steroids may be injected into the joint to help relieve swelling and pain so the shoulder regains full range of motion.

The various forms of treatment for cuff tendonitis are generally effective. Most people regain normal use of their arm and shoulder and are able to resume the activities engaged in before the injury. Severe tendon tears and injuries in older people take longer to heal.

Cuff tendonitis that is not allowed to heal properly can lead to bursitis, which is an inflammation of the fluid filled cavity of the shoulder. The function of the bursa is to lessen friction from moving tendons and muscles in the shoulder joint. When the bursa becomes inflamed, you will experience pain and limited arm movement.

There is not a lot you can do to prevent cuff tendonitis. Try to avoid repetitive movements that strain your tendons. Build muscle strength in your shoulder muscles. Be cautious of landing on your shoulder when playing sports.

Luckily, most of the time, cuff tendonitis is not serious although it may be painful and annoying. Many times, it can be treated at home. However, you should call your doctor if your shoulder pain is severe or persistent.