What’s the Best Treatment for Rotator Cuff Injuries?

Every time you wave your hand, swing a tennis racket, or eat a meal, your rotator cuff is hard at work providing stability and range of motion to your shoulder. When a problem arises in this connective tissue, your life can be limited in significant ways, making finding a solution a top priority.

At No Mercy Sports Medicine, under the expert direction of Dr. Moisés Irizarry-Román, our team of sports medicine specialists offers a wide range of services designed to help your body function at its best. And when it comes to problems in your shoulder, namely at your rotator cuff, we prefer to address the problem in the least invasive way possible, while also providing you with sustainable results.

Below is a look at some of the best treatments for rotator cuff injuries.

The anatomy of your rotator cuff

Before we get into some of our innovative treatment protocols for rotator cuff injuries, it’s helpful to review the role this connective tissue plays in your overall musculoskeletal structure. Your rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that come together as tendons that cup the head of your humerus, or upper arm bone.

Your rotator cuff is primarily responsible for stabilizing the ball-and-socket joint that makes up your shoulder, and it also allows you to lift and rotate your arm.

The primary culprits behind rotator cuff pain

Given the enormous workload your rotator cuff is responsible for, it’s little wonder that wear-and-tear injuries lead the charge when it comes to shoulder problems. More specifically, repeated stress on this connective tissue causes your rotator to weaken and become inflamed in a condition known as tendinitis.

For example, baseball pitchers and painters are often afflicted with this type of tendon problem, as these two activities place added, and repeated, stress on the rotator cuff. Outside of wear-and-tear, you can also damage your rotator cuff in an acute injury, such as a fall or a collision.

Treating your rotator cuff

When it comes to treating musculoskeletal injuries, such as your rotator cuff, our goal is to find the least invasive, yet most sustainable, solution available. There are times when a rotator cuff tear may benefit from surgical repair, but, more often than not, your rotator cuff can heal using less invasive approaches.

At No Mercy Sports Medicine, we thoroughly assess your rotator cuff injury using ultrasound so we have a better idea about the extent of the problem. Once we evaluate your injury, we typically use a multipronged approach that may include one or more of the following:

• Rest (sometimes immobilization)
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Corticosteroid injections
• Physical therapy
• Osteopathic manipulation
• Therapeutic massage
• Musculoskeletal ultrasound
• Stem cell therapy
• Platelet-rich plasma injections

As sports medicine specialists, we aim to relieve your discomfort while providing your rotator cuff with the tools it needs to heal from the inside out for long-lasting results. By encouraging rebuilding and repair using the amazing resources already found in the human body, such as platelets and stem cells, our aim is to get you back to your active life without risking re-injury.

Our regenerative medicine, along with physical therapy, are often the keys to success when it comes to restoring full use of your shoulder.

To learn more about your treatment options for rotator cuff issues, please contact one of our two locations in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to set up a consultation.