Best treatment for your shoulder

By Lee Chang-soo

In many cases, shoulder muscles are well developed among people who are sturdy, and the deltoid, a muscle covering the shoulder, is most important for movement.

Many people strengthen and enlarge their deltoid muscle by working out at gym or participating in outdoor activities.

When discussing the shoulder muscle, the rotator cuff, which are four muscles supporting the deltoid muscle and facilitating smooth movement of the shoulder, should be paid attention to.

The rotator cuff muscles are located in the inner part of the deltoid muscle, making them harder to reach and difficult to strengthen. Actually, they are frequently damaged through working out at gym or weight lifting.

A frozen shoulder or other shoulder pains are usually due to rotator cuff damage. As the rotator cuff is located in between the joint, frequent use of the shoulder results in the muscles colliding with the joint, ultimately damaging them.

As we are living in a world with an excess of information, the definition of “rotator cuff tear” can be easily found on the internet.

Rather than going through the medical explanation of what a rotator cuff tear is, I would like to focus on what the patient needs to know when selecting treatment.

Recently, a 60-year-old woman visited me with symptoms of not being able to lift her arm.

Based on an examination, her condition was diagnosed as a rotator cuff tear.

When diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear, two methods can be considered: surgical and non-surgical treatment.

Usually, the shoulder specialist will decide on which treatment is best based on each patient’s condition, and perform the most effective one.

However, in the case of this patient, neither was guaranteed to bring a positive outcome.

Everyone has some level of fear toward surgical treatment. It is understood that people would like to avoid the surgery if they can.

However, there are some cases where the rotator cuff tear can only be treated through surgical methods.

If that is the case, a shoulder specialist should recommend surgery and persuade the patient regarding this treatment, considering the patient’s condition 10 years from now.

Also, a patient should pay attention to the doctor’s recommendation and try to follow any suggestions.

A rotator cuff tear is not a life threatening disease. However, it may limit various daily and other functional activities.

Moreover, when this condition is left untreated, the damaged area may increase and the damage level may worsen.

A rotator cuff tear is categorized into 4 stages; at stage 1, the surgical method shows the best outcome, while at stage 4, even just stitching of rotator cuff tear gets difficult.

Thus, when surgery is necessary, do not be afraid of going through with it.

These days, medical technology has advanced to treat the tear with arthroscopic surgery, which is performed with a minimal incision and brings about a faster recovery.

The writer is chief of the Joint Center at Seoul Bumin Hospital.