[헬스코리아뉴스 / 김명서] An increasing number of people complain of shoulder pain due to an aging population, an increase in the sports population, and excessive computer use. It is said that more than 20% of adults in Korea complain of shoulder pain at least once in their lifetime. In particular, in the case of rotator cuff rupture, which is frequent in the middle-aged, it would be good to receive appropriate treatment early, but it is often treated as a general frozen shoulder pain, which delays treatment and leads to major surgery. Find out more about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of rotator cuff rupture with the blade of the shoulder joint.
Four tendons that move the shoulder’rotator cuff’
Diseases that cause shoulder pain are very diverse, such as rotator cuff tear, frozen dog, impingement syndrome, calcification tendinitis, and degenerative osteoarthritis. One of the common diseases among middle-aged people in their late 50s and 60s is rotator cuff tear. The rotator cuffs are the four tendons that move the shoulders. If any of these is broken or damaged, shoulder pain is caused, and as the rupture progresses, the strength of the arm decreases. Usually, with age, the tendons that move the shoulder are torn from repeated damage or wear.
Patients with rotator cuff tear continue to feel. According to the data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients visiting the hospital due to rotator cuff rupture (disease code M751, rotator cuff syndrome) increased by 40% in the last five years from 589,000 in 2015 to 82,5083 in 2019. Looking at the patients in 2019, it was found that more than half of all patients were middle-aged people in their 50s and 60s. There are many cases of tearing by sports or trauma, such as tennis and golf that use a lot of shoulders.
Even if there is pain, the arm rises
When shoulder pain occurs, many patients misunderstand it as a frozen dog (frozen shoulder) that can improve without surgery, and many patients endure the pain to raise the disease. However, frozen dogs and rotator cuff tears are completely different diseases. Freezing dogs can raise or turn their arms in any direction, so that the entire shoulder hurts, and even if someone touches them, it hurts. The shoulder is stiff, so no matter how much you try to raise your arm, the pain does not rise and the pain intensifies, and the pain usually causes you to sleep or sleep at night. A rotator cuff tear is painful, but it rises when you try to raise the sore arm with the opposite arm. Pain mainly appears in the front of the shoulder joint, especially when the arm is raised, the pain is severe between 120 and 160 degrees, and the pain occurs when the arm is lowered. In addition, when the rupture proceeds, the strength is weakened and the raised arm cannot be maintained, and symptoms such as a sore arm fall.
If left unattended, the burst continues to widen
If the rotator cuff is ruptured, it does not heal well, and if left untreated, the ruptured part becomes larger and may lead to extensive rupture. If the degree of rupture is not severe, it is not necessary to perform surgery unconditionally. However, over time, a partial rupture may proceed to a complete rupture, and the size of the rupture may gradually increase even in the middle of a complete rupture, so it is important to determine the appropriate timing of the operation.
In addition, if a long period of time passes without proper treatment, fat degeneration of the muscle proceeds, making it difficult to suture the ruptured tendon and increasing the risk of re-rupture.
This is the reason why, when there is pain in the shoulder, it is not unconditional to assume that it is a’fifty shoulder’. Most surgeries for rotator cuff tear are arthroscopy. Surgery is performed to suture the torn rotator cuff while observing the inside of the joint through a 5mm hole in the shoulder with a monitor. Arthroscopy is less painful than conventional incisions and does not damage the surrounding tissues caused by the incision, so recovery is quick.
Care for healthy shoulders with shoulder stretching and exercise
After surgery, you will wear a brace for 4 to 8 weeks. During the same period, for the time being, you should refrain from picking up or moving objects with your arms raised or spread to the side. From 3 to 6 months after surgery, activities such as driving or simple strength training become possible, and through sufficient rehabilitation, it can be completely relieved without pain. To prevent rotator cuff rupture, do enough shoulder stretching before and after exercise, and it is helpful to have the habit of turning on the stretch frequently even in normal times. It is good to strengthen the shoulder tendons with a balanced diet, and to increase the flexibility of the shoulder muscles and ligaments by steadily exercising and stretching the shoulders.
How to prevent rotator cuff rupture
· Doing enough shoulder stretching before and after exercise
· Getting into the habit of stretching often
· Strengthen your shoulder tendons with a balanced diet
· Develop the flexibility of shoulder muscles and ligaments by continuing shoulder exercise
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