Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

Tendonitis refers to the inflammation of the tendon of the muscle. This is different than injury to the muscle belly itself. Tendonitis can happen to any tendon in the body and typically develops as the result of overuse of a muscle. The rotator cuff muscles consist of the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis. Tendonitis can arise within the rotator cuff muscles, especially the supraspinatus. When the supraspinatus becomes inflamed it is usually the result of subacromial impingement syndrome. As a result of the impingement the tendon continues to get pinched every time a person lifts their arm leading to inflammation of the tendon. The other rotator cuff muscles can also develop tendonitis and this is usually due to repetitive motions or repetitive lifting that over-stresses the muscle and leads to inflammation of the tendon. Treatment of tendonitis can be tricky. All healing in the body is dictated by blood flow; the more blood flow a structure gets the faster it will heal. Tendons generally have poor blow flow causing them to take longer to heal. We can still use techniques in physical therapy to help alleviate symptoms however. Physical therapy focuses on promoting blood flow to the tendons with methods such as dry needling, soft tissue massage, and scraping, and following this with pain free exercise that promotes blood flow to the region. Tendonitis is often a precursor to a tear so it is imperative to heal the structure to prevent putting the tendon at risk of tearing. Please see the pictures below for photos on how tend to treat rotator cuff tendonitis in our clinic. If you would like to schedule an appointment please reach out to us.