Rotator Cuff Repair Treatment

Repairing Rotator Cuff Tears in Wayne, New Jersey

The shoulder, home to the rotator cuff, is one of the most-used joints in the body. As wear, tear, and stress from use accumulate, there is a risk of sustaining a severe injury. At High Mountain Orthopedics, we are experts in shoulder conditions like torn rotator cuffs. Receive treatment at our convenient location in Wayne, New Jersey, where rotator cuff tear repairs can help you recover effectively.

What Is a Rotator Cuff Tear?

Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder joint. Together, these tissues are responsible for keeping the head of the upper arm bone firmly within the shoulder socket. Occasionally, however, a tendon may tear as the result of an injury. The torn tendon is often painful and can’t perform its job effectively. This causes all sorts of issues in the shoulder, such as:

• Pain at night or while resting
• Pain that worsens with pressure on the affected shoulder
• Pain when lifting or lowering the arm in specific directions
• Weakness in the arm
• Crackling sensations in the shoulder

Rotator cuff injuries are common but serious. Anyone who suffers a tear should seek medical attention immediately. Incorrectly healed tears lead to permanent disability and may even trigger progressive degeneration in the joint. This is why it’s essential to find an expert who can oversee the recovery process and ensure your mobility and comfort are properly restored.

Major Causes and Risk Factors

Most rotator cuff tears are the result of a substantial injury. Others are caused by progressive wear and tear to the tendon. Regardless of the cause, however, several factors may increase an individual’s risk of injuring their rotator cuff. These risk factors include:

• Older age: As you grow older, the years of wear and tear add up to weakened muscles and brittle connective tissue, and the rotator cuff becomes much more prone to tearing.
• Occupation: Certain jobs require repetitive overhead arm motions that damage the rotator cuff over time. This is especially true of careers in carpentry, house painting, and construction.
• Family: Rotator cuffs tend to appear more commonly in certain families, suggesting there may be a genetic component to rotator cuff injuries.
• Conditioning: If patients fail to properly stretch and exercise the shoulder, along with other muscles, they can increase their risk of sudden injuries while working.

Our Rotator Cuff Treatments

Very mild tears can often be solved with conservative treatments, such as rest and physical therapy. More severe injuries require surgery. In a rotator cuff repair, the surgeon will carefully reattach the tendon to the bone. If major tendons are torn, their ends will be stitched back together. Repairs are often performed under the guidance of an arthroscope, or tiny camera, to ensure precision.

Very extensive rotator cuffs may not be fixable. When this happens, the best solution is a shoulder replacement or reverse shoulder replacement, depending on your previous medical history. This advanced procedure replaces the damaged tissue with artificial implants. The replaced joint is often more stable than the original, preventing the tear from recurring.

Seek Treatment Today in Wayne, NJ

High Mountain Orthopedics helps patients throughout the region recover from painful rotator cuff injuries. We have a convenient location in Wayne, where your journey to rotator cuff tear repairs can begin. To learn more, contact us to schedule an office or telemedicine appointment.