Hey everyone, it’s Dr. Jay Bowen, a board-certified physiatrist here at New Jersey Regenerative Institute, or NJRI.
I work with my partner Dr. Thomas Agesen to provide non-surgical solutions to orthopedic problems. Last summer, my team and I started creating Youtube videos to help educate the public on the benefits of regenerative medicine. We’ve done a knee series that you all loved, so now we’re diving into shoulders! If you haven’t seen the overview we posted last week, go check it out now!
Today, I want to talk specifics of tendinopathy and rotator cuff tears.
“Rotator Cuff Tears & Tendinopathy” in burgundy nunito centered on screen
We’ll go over what these issues are, how they occur, and how we treat them here. If you’ve ever dealt with shoulder pain, discomfort, limited mobility, or are just curious about shoulder health, this video is for YOU. Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any of our videos.
Now, let’s get into it!
Understanding Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy and Tears
Let’s start with the basics—what is the rotator cuff?
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles with tendons that surround the shoulder joint. They play a crucial role in stabilizing your shoulder and allowing you to lift and rotate your arm.
Now, rotator cuff tendinopathy is a condition where the tendons become irritated, inflamed or wear down, often due to repetitive movements, overuse, or aging.
Rotator cuff tears, on the other hand, are more severe. They can be partial or full-thickness tears, often caused by trauma, heavy lifting, or degeneration over a longer time.
The key symptoms to look out for include shoulder pain, especially during overhead activities, weakness, and limited range of motion. If left untreated, these conditions can worsen and significantly impact your daily life. A classic referral pattern is to the arm (make the motion to demonstrate).
How These Issues Occur
So, how do these problems develop?
For tendinopathy, repetitive stress on the tendons, such as in sports like tennis, baseball, or even tasks like painting, can lead to microtears and inflammation. Over time, this causes pain, stiffness, and degeneration.
Tears, on the other hand, can result from sudden injuries, like falling on an outstretched arm, or they can be degenerative with ultimate failure, meaning they occur gradually as we age.
Certain risk factors, like poor posture, muscle imbalances, or even smoking, can increase your likelihood of developing these conditions. It’s important to address them early to prevent progression.
Our Approach to Treatment at NJRI
At NJRI, we focus on non-surgical, regenerative solutions that help the body heal itself.
Here’s what we commonly recommend:
- Rehabilitation Exercises:
- Customized physical therapy plans to strengthen the surrounding muscles and improve mobility. Typically, the ball and socket capsule becomes tight leading to loss of motion with migration of the humeral head or ball north that then pinches into the bone or AC joint above. These treatments are designed to reduce pain, resolve biomechanical abnormalities to minimize or eliminate impingement, restore function, and avoid surgery whenever possible.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP):
This involves using your own blood to concentrate healing factors and inject them around and/or directly into the damaged tendon. This is a good option for tendon degeneration and not so much for tears.
Another option is MFAT - Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue:
This procedure uses your fat to fill, cushion, and likely stimulate healing. This is a better option for tears.
If you have questions about any of these procedures, check out our video series on the TRUTH about all of the different regenerative procedures.
If you feel like you’re struggling with either rotator cuff issues that may be from a bad tendon – tendinopathy or a tear, I’d love to do an evaluation for you. Give the office a call and we can evaluate your options!