Shoulder pain with weakness when raising your arm, night pain, and an MRI saying “rotator cuff tear”? Before scheduling surgery, it is worth knowing: many cuff tears — especially degenerative, partial ones — do very well with correctly conducted conservative treatment.
What is a rotator cuff injury?
The rotator cuff is the group of four tendons that “wrap” and stabilise the shoulder. Injuries range from tendinopathy to partial and complete tears. Important: degenerative tears appear frequently WITH age and WITHOUT pain — beyond 60, many people have asymptomatic tears. The image is treated only together with the clinical picture.
Common symptoms
Lateral shoulder pain, worse when raising the arm and at night, weakness with lifting and rotation, difficulty dressing and reaching behind the back, and visible compensation from the shoulder blade and trunk.
Common causes
Tendon degeneration with age, overhead overload (occupational or sporting), chronic subacromial impingement, trauma (falls) and smoking.
Surgery or not?
Degenerative and partial tears: evidence supports conservative treatment as first line — structured exercise gives results comparable to surgery for many patients. Complete traumatic tears in young, active patients: a prompt surgical discussion. Honest guidance through that decision is part of our assessment.
How we treat cuff injuries at Medicine Park
We assess strength in each cuff component, shoulder-blade mechanics and compensations, then build the programme: progressive cuff and scapular loading, manual therapy, posture correction and night-pain management. Post-operative: staged rehab with your surgeon. All in English.
How long does recovery take?
Conservative: typical improvement in 6–12 weeks, consolidation in 3–4 months. Post-operative: 4–6 months, staged.
When to seek help
If your shoulder has been weak and painful for over two weeks, or the MRI worried you, bring it to the assessment — we interpret it in clinical context. Your first assessment at Medicine Park is free.
