Like most part of our bodies, we rarely stop to consider how our shoulders help us every day-enabling us to swing our arms, lift them, move them forward and back, and carry things. But the shoulder is literally a pivotal part of our body-and the rotator cuff inside is the muscle group that enables us to pivot our arms and gives us a good range of motion. The rotator cuff is actually four muscles-the teres minor, the subscapularis, supraspinatus, and the infraspinatus. These muscles hold the shoulder joint-comprised of a ball and socket-in proper placement and are key to maintaining that range of motion. You should know the signs and symptoms so you can recognize an injury-or worse yet a tear-in the rotator cuff and seek treatment to prevent a permanent disability.

If you experience pain on the top, back portion of your shoulder where these muscles are located, you’ve likely injured your rotator cuff. Pain that shoots down your arm or increases with movement is an even stronger indicator of such an injury. And pain that also persists even when you sleep due to pressure on the shoulder area pretty much confirms it. If the pain is severe enough that over the counter pain killers don’t alleviate it, there is a higher probability that you’ve torn-rather than just injured or strained-your rotator cuff.

Weakness will also accompany such an injury. You will start to lose strength in your arms-even for doing routine tasks like brushing your hair or getting dressed. That shoulder pain, combined with weakness in the arms, is a classic symptom of a torn rotator cuff.

Noises when moving or rotating your arms are also a clear sign of injury. Your arm should not normally pop, grate, or crack with arm movement. This indicates a high likelihood of a tear in the rotator cuff.

Injuries to the rotator cuff typically start out small or are the result of repeated strain and overuse. As a result, symptoms can start out barely noticeable or seem to come on gradually. But if you fall or get a more jarring injury, you get the full brunt of the pain-complete with weakening and noises in the shoulder accompanied by steady pain. This can also indicate you’ve got a tear in your rotator cuff.

Generally older people experience this problem more than the younger generation. Excessive strain on the shoulders with time or the onset of repetitive stress syndrome may also cause injuries to this area. Most people ignore the torn rotator cuff symptoms at the early stages. They try to get rid of the pain by taking pain killers. However with time, the pain can become unbearable.

You want to treat a rotator cuff injury as soon as possible-before the damage can become more pronounced or even permanent. If home remedies and over the counter medications aren’t relieving your shoulder pain, see your doctor. He can evaluate your shoulder for a potential torn rotator cuff and prescribe exercise, medications, or other appropriate treatments.

Tom Nicholson has spent years caring for sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. Please click here to find out more about having asore wrist.

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