Question: Isn't surgery the best treatment for rotator cuff injury?
My husband has pain in each shoulder, the left being worse. Our Doctor told him it was his rotator cuff and gave him loritab. I told my husband that does not cure the pain or cause, only relieves pain. Shouldn't he see an orthopedic doc? And is surgery usually the best if it is the rotator cuff?
Answer: Rotator cuffs are tendons and muscles of the shoulder that can become inflamed due to overuse (a common condition with baseball pitchers) or they can be torn or injured from falls or accidents.
Most physicians will initially treat these injuries conservatively. Rest, heat or ice and pain medications may be all that is needed to reduce the inflammation and ease the pain.
If conservative treatment does not help the physician may prescribe a sling to immobilize the shoulder and therapy or cortisone injections. If all these measures fail only then is surgery considered. Surgery may be arthroscopic or open and carries its own risks (infection, nerve damage etc.). If the treatment the doctor prescribed does not help your husband should follow-up with him to determine the next steps in treatment.
05/12/06
National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoscketal and Skin Diseases
