Healing Without Surgery: 5 Conservative Treatment Options for Your Torn Rotator Cuff

More than 2 million Americans experience some type of rotator cuff injury every year. Around 500,000 rotator cuff surgeries are performed each year, which means that not every injury requires surgery.

At Carolina Joint and Arthritis, we prefer healing rotator cuff tears without surgery, so we typically use more conservative treatment options to heal the tissues, relieve your pain, and restore mobility.

Your rotator cuff is formed by four muscles (and their tendons) anchored in your shoulder blade that hold your upper humerus (arm bone) in the shoulder joint. Because the cuff also has to support a range of motion, it’s susceptible to tears, both from traumatic injury and as a result of repetitive movements.

Symptoms of a tear include pain and weakness in your arm and shoulder and when raising or lowering your arm, difficulty using your arm, and a crackling or popping sound when using your shoulder.

To help you recover as soon as possible, here are five conservative treatment options we typically recommend. Your specific treatment plan will depend on the severity and circumstance of your injury.

1. Rest

The first step you should take is to rest your shoulder to allow swelling and inflammation to subside. This means modifying your activities so you don’t use your shoulder as much: Adjust how you carry items, reach up high, and even sleep at night to relieve stress on your shoulder. For severe tears, a sling can help take pressure off the joint.

You can also alternate heat and ice therapy to reduce swelling and stiffness and relieve pain.

2. Medication

We’ll try various medications as well. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen and aspirin can reduce swelling and pain, and prescription pain relievers can help if your pain is stronger. Steroid injections can also reduce swelling and pain while increasing your range of motion, but they are not a long-term solution because they can weaken your tendons if used for too long.

3. Physical therapy

We can develop a targeted physical therapy program that uses specific exercises to restore your strength and rebuild the flexibility and range of motion in your arm, shoulder, and back muscles. This plan will be customized to your situation so you can reduce the risk of further injury as well.

4. Tenex

If your rotator cuff injury is caused by a problem with one of your tendons, our Tenex procedure can help. It uses ultrasound energy to cut away damaged tendon tissue while also stimulating your body’s natural healing response in that area. 

5. Orthobiologics

Dr. Austin Yeargan is a pioneer in the orthobiologics field, so he is an expert in using regenerative medical techniques that harness the power of your own body to help you heal. In the case of a rotator cuff injury, treatments such as platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP) and autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate (ABMAC) can bring about symptom relief and healing without invasive surgery.

If you’re dealing with a torn rotator cuff, our team at Carolina Joint and Arthritis would be happy to examine, diagnose, and treat your injury. To schedule a consultation, call our Wilmington, North Carolina, office at 910-659-9597 or request an appointment on our website.