Transcript

Voice- The Bodyshop with Jennifer Black and Dr. Steve is brought to you by Allegheny Chesapeake Physical Therapy.

Jennifer Black - Tonight we will talk about rotator cuff tendonitis. Dr. Steve what is the rotator cuff?

Dr. Steve - Jennifer the rotator cuff is a group of muscles in the shoulder. They rotate your arm and form a cuff over the bone so it is call the rotator cuff. Rotator cuff tendonitis is an inflammation of one or this entire group of muscles.

If you think of these muscles like an orchestra, if one instrument is out of sync it sounds terrible. In the shoulder if the entire cuff isn't in sync bad things happen. You can cause pain, poor movement resulting in impingement, bursitis or tendonitis. Which is why there are many names for this problem

Most patients complain of pain in the side of the shoulder. They frequently can't sleep on the shoulder, worse putting clothes overhead, or putting on a jacket. Here is a quick test, put your arms out to the side, If your shoulders are asymmetrical then you need to be seen by a physical therapist.

Treatment Options:

• Rest
• NSAID's
• Physical Therapy to decrease the inflammation and restore normal movement
• Injections can be helpful