The success of [no-glossary]rotator cuff[/no-glossary] treatment involves many factors including your compliance with any suggested physical therapy, your age, overall health, and the extent of your condition.

Your doctor will take a thorough medical history and examine your shoulder. Your doctor also may suggest an MRI (def.)MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) MRI is a special diagnostic study that uses strong magnetic fields to visualize bony and soft tissue structures. MRI creates images of bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments and all other soft tissues. to distinguish between a fully torn and a partially torn rotator cuff (def.)Rotator Cuff The rotator cuff is a muscle tendon unit composed of four muscles that attach the humeral head ("ball" of the upper arm bone) to the scapula (shoulder blade).. Your doctor may recommend that you treat your torn rotator cuff with rest, heat, or cold to the affected area, and pain/anti-inflammatory medications.

Normally a person with a torn rotator cuff will feel pain over the top and outer side of the shoulder. The pain may radiate down your arm. This is more obvious when you raise or extend your arm, or when you lower your arm to the side after you have moved your shoulder backward and raised your arm.

Simple tasks like getting dressed can be painful. Sleeping may be difficult because the pain wakes you up at night. Your shoulder may also feel weak. Sometimes there is a "popping" sound when you move.

As we age, the tissue quality of the tendons weakens, making them more likely to tear. That's why rotator cuff tears are seen in older patients.

Repeated lifting or sports activities that require overhead movements also can cause a torn rotator cuff (def.)Rotator Cuff The rotator cuff is a muscle tendon unit composed of four muscles that attach the humeral head ("ball" of the upper arm bone) to the scapula (shoulder blade).. Rotator cuffs may also tear when you fall on an outstretched hand or collide hard with something.

One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is the result of a torn rotator cuff.

The rotator cuff (def.)Rotator Cuff The rotator cuff is a muscle tendon unit composed of four muscles that attach the humeral head ("ball" of the upper arm bone) to the scapula (shoulder blade). is made up of 4 muscles. Their tendons (def.)Tendons Tendons are cord-like structures made of collagen that connect muscles to bones. form a "cuff" of tissue over the upper end of the arm bone (humerus) — the rounded "ball" at the top of the ball and socket joint. The space between the rotator cuff and the shoulder blade (scapula (def.)Scapula The scapula is the shoulder blade.) is cushioned and lubricated by bursae (def.)Bursae Bursae (singular = bursa) are filmy, sac-like structures that allow bones, muscles and tendons to glide smoothly over each other. In the shoulder, the bursae are located between the rotator cuff tendons and the shoulder blade (acromion). They help cushion the rotator cuff from the boney front edge of the shoulder blade..

The rotator cuff helps you move your arm in a circular fashion: