Rotator Cuff Problems in Seniors: Symptoms, Exercises and Treatment Guide

What Are the Common Causes and Risk Factors?

Understanding rotator cuff problems seniors is important for seniors and their caregivers. the shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint. The top part of the arm bone (humerus) forms a joint with the shoulder blade (scapula). The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus into the scapula. It also controls movement of the shoulder joint.

TENDINITIS

The tendons of the rotator cuff pass underneath a bony area on their way to attaching to the top part of the arm bone. When these tendons become inflamed, they can become more inflamed over this area during shoulder movements.

Rotator cuff tendinitis is also called impingement syndrome. Causes of this condition include:

• Keeping the arm in the same position for long periods, such as doing computer work or hairstyling
• Sleeping on the same arm each night
• Playing sports requiring the arm to be moved overhead repeatedly such as in tennis, baseball (particularly pitching), swimming, and lifting weights overhead
• Working with the arm overhead for many hours or days, such as in painting and carpentry
• Poor posture over many years
• Aging
• Rotator cuff tears

TEARS

Rotator cuff tears may occur in two ways:

• A sudden acute tear may happen when you fall on your arm while it is stretched out. Or, it can occur after a sudden, jerking motion when you try to lift something heavy.
• A chronic tear of the rotator cuff tendon occurs slowly over time. It is more likely when you have chronic tendinitis or impingement syndrome. At some point, the tendon wears down and tears.

There are two types of rotator cuff tears:

• A partial tear occurs when a tear does not completely sever the attachments to the bone.
• A complete, full thickness tear means that the tear goes all the way through the tendon. It may be as small as a pinpoint, or the tear may involve the entire tendon. With complete tears, the tendon has come off (detached) from where it was attached to the bone. It can also be retracted and be pulled away from the bone. Retracted tears do not heal on their own.

What Are the Symptoms and Warning Signs?

TENDINITIS

Early on, pain is mild and occurs with overhead activities and lifting your arm to the side. Activities include brushing your hair, reaching for objects on shelves, or playing an overhead sport.

Pain is more likely in the front of the shoulder and may travel to the side of the arm. The pain always stops above the elbow. If the pain goes down the arm to the elbow and hand, this may indicate a pinched nerve in the neck.

There may also be pain when you lower the shoulder from a raised position.

Over time, there may be pain at rest or at night, such as when lying on the affected shoulder. You may have weakness and loss of motion when raising the arm above your head. Your shoulder can feel stiff with lifting or movement. It may become more difficult to place the arm behind your back.

ROTATOR CUFF TEARS

The pain with a sudden tear after a fall or injury is usually intense. Right after the injury, you will likely have weakness of the shoulder and arm. It may be hard to move your shoulder or raise your arm above the shoulder. You may also feel snapping when trying to move the arm.

With a chronic tear, you often do not notice when it began. This is because symptoms of pain, weakness, and stiffness or loss of motion worsen slowly over time.

Rotator cuff tendon tears often cause pain at night. The pain may even wake you. During the day, the pain is more tolerable, and usually only hurts with certain movements, such as overhead or reaching toward the back.

Over time, the symptoms become much worse and are not relieved by medicines, rest, or exercise.