In this article, we will discuss the factors that cause rotator cuff injuries.
The rotator cuff is the supporting tissue of the shoulder, and damage to that area is common.The rotator cuff is a supportive tissue in the shoulder, and injuries to this area are common enough that you should suspect rotator cuff injuries when you have shoulder pain.
The posture of the shoulder is one of the most common factors that can cause damage to this area.I would like to introduce a study that investigated whether poor shoulder posture is actually related to rotator cuff injuries.
The study
A total of 61 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of RCT were included in this backward-looking study.
Anterior and posterior radiographs of the shoulder were used to measure the gradient of the shoulder in the adduction and neutral rotational positions.
Pain levels were assessed using a visual analogue scale of pain.
The mean age of the patients is 55.7±12.3 years.
The VAS indicated by the patients was 4.1±1.2.
The mean shoulder gradient was 14.11º±2.65º for the affected shoulder and 15.8º±2.2º for the unaffected shoulder.
This difference is not statistically significant.
A difference of 1.15º±1.82º was found between the injured and unaffected shoulders.
No significant association was found between the difference in shoulder gradient and the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients.
Author's Conclusion.
Shoulder gradient is not associated with the pathology of RCTs. Nevertheless, future studies with more standardization and larger sample sizes are needed to further investigate the role of shoulder slope in the etiology of RCTs.
Sobhani Eraghi A, Hajializade M, Shekarchizadeh E, Abdollahi Kordkandi S. Role of shoulder gradient in the pathogenesis of rotator cuff tears. World J Orthop. 2020;11(4):206-212. published 2020 Apr 18. doi:10.5312/wjo.v11.i4.206
Conclusion
The results show that the shoulder gradient as analyzed by pathology and the shoulder limb position seen during slouching and hunching are dubious to be associated with rotator cuff injuries.
In clinical practice, it seemed to be related because there was a difference in shoulder position between the left and right side of the body in people with pre-existing rotator cuff injuries that were determined to be rotator cuff injuries, but this did not mean that this was pathologically true.
In other words, rather than considering the shoulder position as the cause, it would be better to consider other conditions.
However, there are other studies that have shown that people with differences in shoulder gradients such as this one have impingement syndrome.
This meant that when considering rotator cuff injuries, it might be better to measure the gap between the acromion and the clavicle rather than the position of the humerus or other parts of the body.
It means that we should not assume and diagnose based on appearance.
