The rotator cuff is a structure composed of tendons that work along with associated muscles to hold the ball at the top of the humerus in the glenoid socket and provide mobility and strength to the shoulder joint.
Collection of muscles that rotate the arm; includes supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis muscles.
A musculotendinous structure consisting of supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis tendons blending with the shoulder joint capsule. The muscles, which surround the glenohumeral joint below the superficial musculature, stabilize and control the head of the humerus in all arm motions, function with the deltoid to abduct the arm, and rotate the humerus. Weakness in the cuff muscles may lead to impingement syndromes and tendinitis; tears in the cuff may lead to subluxations; and calcification may lead to immobilization of the shoulder.
A supportive framework surrounding the shoulder joint, made up of four tendons that blend into the fibrous capsule that envelops the joint.
A tear in the rotator cuff can occur due to a fall. A minor tear may lead to painful arc syndrome, which causes discomfort when lifting the arm away from the body within a specific range of motion. A full tear significantly hampers the ability to lift the arm and may necessitate surgical intervention in cases of severe impairment.