A rotator cuff tear is a partial or complete tear of one or more of the four rotator cuff tendons. Rotator cuff injuries typically affect adults. People in their thirties and early forties rarely have a full-thickness tear without a significant traumatic event, such as a fall. Adults in their fifties and beyond can develop full-thickness rotator cuff tears without a major injury. A partial-thickness tear usually responds to the rehabilitation and nonoperative treatment but occasionally needs surgery. Often doing some exercises for a rotator cuff tear can relieve your pain and allow you to get back to what you love to do.

A full-thickness tear rarely improves without surgery to repair the tendon. With newer technologies, this surgery can almost always be performed arthroscopically.

In this video, physical therapist Yves Gege and I show a few exercises for a rotator cuff tear you can do to try to recover, if you have a rotator cuff tear.

Remember, these exercise posts, like other information on this site, are not intended to represent specific medical advice. If you have any questions about this injury or of its treatment, make sure to see your doctor or a physical therapist.

Also read:
Rotator cuff tears: Signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options for these shoulder injuries