Even though they are much more common in middle-aged people, torn rotator cuff symptoms can affect people of any age. Whether through repetitive strain injuries, accidents or other causes, this is a serious problem. When caused by an accident, the nature of the injury is generally immediately obvious; but when due to repetitive stress, the damage to the rotator cuff happens gradually and may not be noticed for some time.
Typically, the first sign of these injuries are minor throbbing pains which recur periodically. In general, people shrug this pain off, often taking an over the counter pain reliever and ignoring the problem. This is a big mistake, since these people tend to continue working their shoulders, causing further damage. When the pain reliever wears off, the pain returns worse than ever, often along with restricted mobility of the affected shoulder. Other signs of a rotator cuff injury include weakness, stiffness and swelling in the injured shoulder joint. However, since gradual strain is the most common cause of this type of injury, these symptoms will show up before there is actual tearing of muscles or tendons, meaning that the worst can be averted if action is taken.
A condition called "frozen shoulder" (adhesive capsulitis) may develop if no treatment is sought after experiencing the earlier torn rotator cuff symptoms. This condition is characterized by a reduction in the ability to move the shoulder, often to the point where even routine tasks like dressing or driving can be done only with the greatest difficulty.
All too many patients don't begin to take notice of the problem until their torn rotator cuff symptoms have progressed to the point where they are unbearable. As the shoulder becomes more inflamed with continued stress, the symptoms gradually become more severe. Once the symptoms become very severe, the injury is often to the point where a full recovery could take years. Rather than allowing things to degenerate this far, it is better to listen to what your body is telling you and start treating the condition with a rotator cuff exercise program. Don't just use pain relievers to hide the pain - it will only return worse than ever as you keep causing more damage to your rotator cuff.
Anyone whose work is physically demanding or is active in athletics needs to be particularly vigilant in watching for torn rotator cuff symptoms. As the inflammation worsens, symptoms such as frozen shoulder can be nearly disabling.
The best way to prevent torn rotator cuff symptoms from affecting your life is to get diagnosed and treated early. The diagnostic tools used to establish a torn rotator cuff include x-rays, ultrasound, MRI, arthograms and physical examination. The treatment depends on the severity of the injury and of the torn rotator cuff symptoms; these may include heat or cold, exercise and stretching, physical therapy and in very severe cases, steroids.
Author Resource:
Tom Nicholson has spent years helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. Please click here to find out more regarding having asore wrist .
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")