To better understand the natural history of rotator cuff disease and its treatment, it is crucial to find a reliable method of classifying or describing rotator cuff tears. We can then use this classification to identify appropriate treatments for each type of tear that lead to the best outcomes. There are many rotator cuff classification systems in use today, making it difficult to compare res...

INTRODUCTION: Pathologic changes in the long head of the biceps tendon are common clinically in conjunction with rotator cuff tears [1,2]. However, there is some debate regarding the role of the biceps at the shoulder following a cuff tear [3,4] and therefore, controversy exists regarding its treatment. A previous study in a rat model determined that the biceps tendon was detrimentally affected...

INTRODUCTION rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are the most common tendon injury seen in orthopedic patients. Muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration of the muscle are crucial factors that dictate the outcome following rotator cuff surgery. Though less studied in humans, rotator cuff muscle fibrosis has been seen in animal models as well and may influence outcomes as well. The purpose of this study was t...

Introduction Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries that cause significant pain and often require surgical intervention and physical therapy. Reestablishment of normal shoulder kinematics is often difficult and relies on balancing the active muscle forces and passive contact forces between the glenoid and the humeral head. Previous studies have determined that damage to the rotator cuf...

Traumatic rotator cuff tears in patients younger than 25 years are rare events, with few reports in the literature. When compared with the more mature shoulder, the young, healthy supraspinatus tendon is a robust tendon that is able to absorb a significant amount of energy before tendon failure. Therefore, the diagnosis of a rotator cuff tear can be often overlooked in this population due to th...

The long head of biceps tendon (LHBT) is frequently involved in rotator cuff tears and can cause anterior shoulder pain. Tendon hypertrophy, hourglass contracture, delamination, tears, and tendon instability in the bicipital groove are common macroscopic pathologic findings affecting the LHBT in the presence of rotator cuff tears. Failure to address LHBT disorders in the setting of rotator cuff...

Repair of massive rotator cuff tears is technically difficult but often feasible. Technical and biological challenges to a successful repair include inelastic poor-quality tendon tissue, scarring, muscle atrophy, and fatty infiltration. Fatty infiltration of the involved rotator cuff muscles has been identified as an important negative prognostic factor for the outcome after repair of massive r...

Rotator cuff tears are common and are a frequent source of shoulder pain and disability. A wide variation in the prevalence of rotator cuff tears has been reported. The etiology of rotator cuff tear remains multifactorial and attempts to unify intrinsic and extrinsic theories tried to explain the etiopathogenesis of rotator cuff tears. Knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of rotator cuff tears is ...

Full-thickness rotator cuff tears in the young athlete are a rare injury. These injuries typically result from an acute traumatic event in a contact athlete, as opposed to overuse injuries more commonly seen in throwing athletes. Acute tears may be initially overlooked, with the symptoms attributed to other, more common causes, such as cuff contusion or brachial plexus neuropraxia ("stinger" or...

PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to describe a new full-thickness tear pattern of the posterosuperior rotator cuff with reversal healing. We describe the specific radiologic signs associated with this tear pattern and the arthroscopic rotator cuff repair technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective radiologic and clinical study collected all patients with a magnetic resonance imaging a...