Background of the Topic
Primarily, rotator cuffs are made up of tendons and muscles that keep the head of the humerus in the shoulder socket. It consists of a series of four muscles that form a cuff tissue around the humerus, thus providing rotational strength to the shoulder (Rahu et al., 2017). The rotator cuff is mainly essential in sports such as swimming, baseball, and tennis. The four muscles include the infraspinatus, which is the primary muscle as it helps a person to extend and rotate their shoulder. The supraspinatus muscle ensures the stability of the joint by holding the humerus in place (Rahu et al., 2017). The teres minor is the smallest of the muscles and aids in rotating the arm away from the body. The subscapularis assists in holding straight and lowering the upper bone of the arm. Moreover, it keeps the upper arm bone to the shoulder blade. The shoulder joint has three bones, namely humerus, clavicle, and scapula.
There are various examples of injuries associated with this region. The most common injury is the rotator cuff tear, which occurs primarily because of wear and damages from daily use, for instance, among carpenters and baseball players (Weiss et al., 2018). Moreover, aged people tend to have rotator cuff tears from reduced blood circulation around the tendons. Tendinitis occurs from the inflammation of the muscles while Bursitis can occur due to irritation of the sac filled with the liquid that protects the rotator cuff. The main symptoms associated with these injuries include pain on the outer side of the shoulder, lack of mobility as the shoulder may fail to rotate sufficiently, and weakness as a result of the detachment of the muscle (Lewis, 2016). The primary evaluation of rotator cuff injuries is done through MRI, ultrasound, and physical examination (Weiss et al., 2018). Additionally, treatment can be administered through injections, medication, and physical therapy.
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Critical Thinking
It is important to remember the various rotator cuff muscles and their functions. I, therefore, use a simple mnemonic to aid in understanding and memorizing the muscles. The SITS represents the multiple muscles. The first S stands for the supraspinatus muscle while I describe the infraspinatus muscle. The T denotes the Teres minor, and the last S indicates subscapularis muscle. To also remember their functions, the first S is linked to ABD for abduction movements, and the I is related to EX to represent external rotation. The T is associated with ADD for adduction, and external rotation, and the last S is linked to ADD to denote adduction and internal movements.
Understanding the functions and structure of the rotator cuffs is imperative because they aid in the movement of the hands. Moreover, it provides an in-depth knowledge of how the upper arms rotate. For instance, this knowledge indicates why the shoulder is the only joint that rotates at 360 degrees. Additionally, one gets to learn the complexity and efficiency of the shoulders hence comprehending why it is also the most vulnerable to injury (Charalambous & Eastwood, 2014). The topic on muscles of the rotator cuff relates to other parts of the text, such as shoulder movements that cause friction at the cuffs (Charalambous & Eastwood, 2014). It also refers to shoulder joints such as the acromioclavicular joint, which includes the plane synovial joint. Additionally, it relates to the glenohumeral joint that consists of the ball and socket joint (Charalambous & Eastwood, 2014). The glenohumeral, thus, increases the stability of ligaments, labrum, and muscles such as the rotator cuffs and deltoid around the glenoid cavity.
References
Charalambous, C. P., & Eastwood, S. (2014). Normal and abnormal motion of the shoulder. In Classic papers in orthopedics (pp. 331-333). Springer, London.
Lewis, J. (2016). Rotator cuff related shoulder pain: assessment, management, and uncertainties. Manual therapy , 23 , 57-68.
Rahu, M., Kolts, I., Põldoja, E., & Kask, K. (2017). Rotator cuff tendon connections with the rotator cable. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy , 25 (7), 2047-2050.
Weiss, L. J., Wang, D., Hendel, M., Buzzerio, P., & Rodeo, S. A. (2018). Management of rotator cuff injuries in the elite athlete. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine , 11 (1), 102-112.
