Dealing with a painful shoulder injury? It may be a rotator cuff tear. Coast Spine and Sports Medicine offers comprehensive treatment options for men and women in Orange County, Los Angeles County and Inland Empire.
What Is a Rotator Cuff Tear?
Rotator cuff tears are common injuries that often involve workplace injuries or sports injuries. Most rotator cuff injuries are the result of repetitive stress and normal wear and tear that happen over time, although a tear can also be caused by a sudden fall or lifting a very heavy object.
The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons and muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. Rotator cuff tears can be classified as either partial or complete. While rotator cuff injuries don’t always cause symptoms, a torn rotator cuff may cause:
- Trouble lifting your arm
- Pain when moving your arm above your head or up and away from your body
- Shoulder weakness
- Clicking or popping in the shoulder when moving your arm
If a rotator cuff tear isn’t treated properly, it can worsen over time and develop into a more serious problem like a frozen shoulder or shoulder arthritis. An injured or torn rotator cuff tendon can also cause inflammation and pain of the bursa, which allows the rotator cuff tendon to slide freely.
How Much Does Rotator Cuff Treatment Cost in Orange County, CA?
The cost of rotator cuff surgery and treatment will depend on the severity and cause of your injury. During your initial appointment, we will create a treatment plan and review the cost of your care. Coast Spine and Sports Medicine accepts many forms of health insurance in addition to financing through CareCredit®.
What Causes a Rotator Cuff Injury?
Rotator cuff injuries are the result of either a degenerative or acute tear. Acute rotator cuff tears are not common, but they can happen if you lift something very heavy or fall down with an outstretched arm.
Most rotator cuff tears happen due to gradual wearing of the tendon. Degenerative tendon tears can be caused by a number of issues such as:
- Reduced blood supply to the tendon that happens with age
- Repetitive stress such as jobs or sports like baseball, rowing, and tennis
- Bone spurs that rub against the tendon in a condition called shoulder impingement
How Is a Rotator Cuff Tear Treated in Orange County, CA?
Rotator cuff treatment is designed to not only reduce pain but also restore function and strength to your shoulder. At Coast Spine and Sports Medicine, we believe in starting with non-surgical treatment that can improve function and pain in most patients without potentially risky and invasive surgery. Non-surgical treatment for a torn rotator cuff can include anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and steroid injections to ease inflammation and support healing.
Sometimes rotator cuff surgery is necessary, unfortunately. Surgery may be recommended for injuries that do not respond to non-surgical methods or tears that are large, cause significant weakness, or tears that were caused by an acute and recent injury. In general, rotator cuff repair involves reattaching the tendon to the humerus. Depending on whether you have a partial or complete tear, this may involve debridement or trimming away damaged tissue or stitching the tendon back to the humerus.
You don’t need to live with the pain and weakness of a shoulder injury. The sooner you seek treatment for a rotator cuff injury, the more likely your injury will be to heal normally and without consequences like a frozen shoulder. Contact us today to schedule an appointment at Coast Spine and Sports Medicine. We welcome men and women in Los Angeles County and Orange County, including the communities of Santa Ana, Downey, and Long Beach, CA.
