What is the treatment for a rotator cuff tear?
Rotator cuff tear treatment may include nonsurgical and surgical options.
Nonsurgical options
Rotator cuff tears don’t heal on their own without surgery, but many people can improve functionally and decrease pain with nonsurgical treatment by strengthening their shoulder muscles. Just because you have a tear doesn’t necessarily mean you need surgery, as many people have rotator cuff tears and don’t even know it. About 8 out of 10 people with partial tears get better with nonsurgical treatments. It can take up to a year for the condition to improve.
Nonsurgical treatments include:
- An arm sling and rest to give your shoulder time to heal. You may need to modify activities and stop certain work or sports for a period of time.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to minimize pain and swelling.
- Physical therapy to learn strengthening and stretching exercises.
- Steroid injections to ease pain and swelling.
Surgical options
Your healthcare provider may recommend surgery if you have a complete tear or nonsurgical treatments don’t help a complete or partial tear. You may also have surgery if your job or athletic interests affect your shoulder.
Most rotator cuff surgeries take place arthroscopically through small cuts (incisions). Occasionally, the surgeon will use an open approach when needed. The surgery is an outpatient procedure. You go home the same day, but the overall recovery after this surgery is very substantial and can take up to a year or more.
During surgery, your healthcare provider:
- Inserts an arthroscope (small camera) through a small incision in your shoulder.
- Refers to images from the arthroscope to perform the procedure.
- Inserts tiny instruments into small incisions in your shoulder to remove bone spurs and reattach your tendon to your upper arm bone.
For a partial tear, your healthcare provider may only need to trim fraying pieces of a partially torn tendon. This debridement procedure keeps your shoulder ball and socket from catching on your tendon and tearing it more.
Some tears aren’t repairable due to their size and/or the age of the tear. For these types of tears, you may need reverse shoulder replacement, tendon transfer or a debridement of scar tissue without repair.
What is the rotator cuff tear recovery time?
After surgery, you need to wear a sling to immobilize your arm for four to six weeks. You can then start physical therapy. Most people regain shoulder function and strength within four to six months after surgery, but full recovery may take up to 12 to 18 months.
