Symptoms | Torn tendon in the shoulder

Symptoms

The supraspinatus tendon is one of four tendons that are classified as the “rotator cuff“. These four muscles are, as the name suggests, significantly involved in rotation in the shoulder joint and pull from parts of the shoulder blade to the humerus. The supraspinatus tendon runs flat over the head of the humerus.

At the shoulder blade, it passes under the acromion, the roof of the shoulder. This is where there is an anatomical constriction that leads to wear and tear in many people in the course of their lives. At this point, the blood flow to the tendon is reduced.

Furthermore, lifting the arm causes the acromion to bump against the acromion. Over the years, the tendon can be damaged and weakened as a result. In addition to wear and tear, lime often forms in this joint region, which is deposited in the soft tissues and can also cause pain and damage to tendons. After sufficient previous damage, a slight abrupt movement may be sufficient to tear the tendon. It can be assumed that more than half of all people over 50 years of age already have wear and tear in the supraspinatus tendon.

Tear of the long biceps tendon

The biceps tendon, as its name suggests, has two heads and thus two tendons that attach to different points. The biceps muscle is mainly involved in the flexion in the elbow and the outward rotation of the forearm and is therefore one of the largest muscles of the upper arm. The long biceps tendon runs over the front shoulder joint and attaches to the shoulder blade.

This part of the tendon is most frequently affected. Typically, the tendon can tear or become inflamed and cause severe pain. The biceps tendon, together with the supraspinatus tendon, is affected more often than average by wear and tear and long-term degenerative changes.

It can also be affected by tightness and calcification under the acromion. Permanent pressure on the tendon can cause it to become irritated and inflamed, causing it to fray and become unstable. A damaged tendon can tear, for example, due to a jerky load on the forearms when the elbows are bent.

A typical accident is the catching of a heavy object with bent arms. In addition to pain, there are often external abnormalities of the muscle on the upper arm. Due to the tearing of the tendon, the muscle slips deeper into the upper arm and is conspicuous as a prominent dent in the upper arm. The rupture of the tendon does not always have to be treated, as the functional limitation is hardly ever limited due to the short biceps tendon that is still present. You can find more information about the biceps tendon rupture and which exercises help in healing here: Torn biceps tendon and physiotherapy for torn biceps tendon