Chiropractor | Sports Physician Questions Orthopaedic Surgeon

Rotator cuff injury?

I had a work injury recently where I hurt my shoulder taking down a pallet from a stack of pallets and went to the doctor. They did an MRI and found a small tear on the back of my shoulder, but they said it would heal on its own, but I work at Walmart unloading items from a truck. I’m worried that it will injure it more even though the doctor told me it will heal on its own what’s your opinion on this and do rotator cuff injuries/tears heal on their own?

Male | 20 years old
Complaint duration: 1 week

2 Answers

Chiropractor|SportsPhysicianOrthopaedicSurgeon
You must give it proper rest and treatment for a few weeks. In these situations, most patients would file a Worker's Compensation claim that would allow for this healing to take place. Rotator cuff injuries can be tricky and persistent otherwise.
Rotator cuff tears vary widely from one tendon (usually supraspinatus) to all 4 tendons. Your case sounds mild and early. The blood supply to the rotator cuff is not generous, and healing tends to be slow. Pain control (sometimes a cortisone injection) and physical therapy are indicated, and you need to be careful when lifting. Over time, damage can occur, so it’s always good to be cautious.