The Truth About Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy

Rotator cuff tears do not heal well when left to their own demise. As a rule, they will either remain the same size or, worst case scenario, get larger and much more painful. There is some good news, however, and that is that a tear does not have to heal completely to have the pain and other symptoms go away.

Many people have tears to their rotator cuff and they don’t even know it. With this being said, the primary goal of rotator cuff physical therapy is to simply get rid of the symptoms of the tear, not to heal it. (If the rotator cuff physical therapy is being done post-surgically, then, obviously, the goal changes.)…

The very first treatment usually recommended by doctors is rotator cuff physical therapy. Rotator cuff physical therapy will usually be combined with the administration of anti-inflammatory medications and cortisone injections, both designed to reduce swelling and inflammation and, in turn, the pain associated with the physical therapy. Hopefully the use of the rotator cuff physical therapy will help to alleviate the pain and reduce the inflammation in the joint, making the tear much easier to live with.

If the rotator cuff physical therapy is not successful, then surgery may be an option. Whether surgery is performed is generally dependent on the age of the patient and the severity of the pain involved with the tear. Doctor’s tend to avoid surgery for older patients. In younger patients, physical therapy is the first choice for treatment.

Only in the case of a severe, traumatic injury is surgery considered as a first course of action. In these cases, rotator cuff physical therapy is always done as a form of rehabilitation. This will help to ensure restoration of the proper range of motion and appropriate strength to the arm and shoulder.

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