Rotator Cuff Injury Treatment: Nonsurgical Care for Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain can get in the way of simple things. You may have trouble reaching into a cabinet or lifting a bag. It may hurt to get dressed or sleep on your side.

A rotator cuff injury is one possible cause. You may have an irritated tendon, damage that developed over time, or a tear. Many of these injuries get better without surgery.

Rotator cuff injury treatment starts with finding the cause of your pain. Your doctor will also look at how well you can move and use your shoulder.

Axion Spine & Neurosurgery provides nonsurgical care for shoulder injuries in Atlanta. Dr. Mangrum commonly treats rotator cuff and other shoulder conditions.

What Is the Rotator Cuff?

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons. They surround your shoulder joint. Together, they help you lift and turn your arm. They also help keep your shoulder stable.

Several injuries can affect the rotator cuff.

Rotator cuff tendinitis: A tendon becomes irritated and inflamed. This may happen after you start lifting more weight or doing more overhead activity.

Rotator cuff tendinopathy: This problem often develops over time. Repeated stress can cause changes in a tendon. You may notice pain when you lift, reach or exercise.

Shoulder impingement: The tendons or nearby bursa become irritated when you raise your arm. This often happens along with other rotator cuff problems.

Partial-thickness tear: Part of the tendon is torn, but some fibers are still intact.

Full-thickness tear: The tear goes through the full thickness of the tendon.

What Does a Rotator Cuff Injury Feel Like?

Pain often starts around the outside of the shoulder or upper arm. You may notice:

Pain when you raise or lower your arm
Pain when reaching overhead
Trouble reaching behind your back
Shoulder pain at night
Weakness when lifting or turning your arm
Trouble moving your shoulder normally

How Is a Rotator Cuff Injury Diagnosed?

Your doctor will start by asking about your pain. A physical exam can also show how well your shoulder is working.

Your doctor may:

Watch how your shoulder moves
Test your shoulder strength
Check which movements cause pain

You may also need an ultrasound or MRI. These tests give your doctor a closer look at the tendons.

An image doesn’t tell the whole story. Rotator cuff tears are more common as people get older. Some people have a tear on an MRI but don’t have shoulder pain. Your doctor will look at your scan, symptoms and exam together.

How Are Rotator Cuff Injuries Treated Without Surgery?

Many rotator cuff injuries don’t need surgery. Treatment can ease pain and help you get back to normal activities.

1. Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a common rotator cuff injury treatment. Exercises can improve strength and movement.

Your exercises may change as your shoulder gets stronger. The goal is to slowly return to the activities you want to do.

2. Activity Changes

You may need to avoid movements that make your pain worse for a while. These may include:

Heavy overhead lifting
Reaching over and over
Throwing
Certain shoulder exercises

You can slowly add these activities back as your shoulder improves.

3. Medications

Pain relievers may be useful for short-term pain. Anti-inflammatory medicines may also be an option for some people.

Less pain can make it easier to move your shoulder and take part in physical therapy.

4. Image-Guided Injections

An injection may be an option if pain keeps you from sleeping or doing physical therapy.

Dr. Mangrum can use ultrasound to guide the injection. This lets him see the area and place the medicine where it’s needed. These injections may provide short-term pain relief for some people.

5. Peptide Therapy

Peptide therapy may also be discussed with some patients. At Axion, it’s used as part of a larger treatment plan when appropriate.

One peptide that has received attention is BPC-157. Most research on BPC-157 has been done in labs or animals. There is very little human research on its use for rotator cuff injuries. We don’t yet know if it’s safe or effective for this purpose.

BPC-157 is not approved by the FDA to treat rotator cuff injuries or other medical conditions.
Peptide therapy doesn’t replace physical therapy or other proven treatments. Dr. Mangrum can discuss the possible risks and limits with you.

When Is Surgery Needed for a Rotator Cuff Tear?

Many people improve with nonsurgical care. This can include people with rotator cuff tendinitis, tendinopathy, impingement, and some tears.

Rotator cuff tear treatment depends on the injury. Your doctor will look at the type of tear and how well your shoulder works. Your response to nonsurgical treatment also matters.

Axion focuses on nonsurgical care. If your injury may need surgical repair, Dr. Mangrum will refer you to an orthopedic surgeon.

Find Rotator Cuff Injury Treatment in Atlanta

You don’t have to assume shoulder pain will lead to surgery. Many rotator cuff injuries can improve with the right nonsurgical care.

Axion Spine & Neurosurgery offers shoulder pain treatment in Atlanta. Dr. Mangrum can find the cause of your pain and build a treatment plan around your needs.

Schedule an appointment with Axion today to learn more about your options for rotator cuff injury treatment.