RESEARCH ARTICLE
Risk Factors, Pathobiomechanics and Physical Examination of Rotator Cuff Tears
Samuel G. Moulton1, Joshua A. Greenspoon1, Peter J. Millett1, 2, *, Maximilian Petri1, 2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2016Volume: 10
Issue: Suppl 1: M3
First Page: 277
Last Page: 285
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-10-277
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001610010277
Article History:
Received Date: 16/07/2015Revision Received Date: 21/07/2015
Acceptance Date: 1/02/2016
Electronic publication date: 21/07/2016
Collection year: 2016

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background:
It is important to appreciate the risk factors for the development of rotator cuff tears and specific physical examination maneuvers.
Methods:
A selective literature search was performed.
Results:
Numerous well-designed studies have demonstrated that common risk factors include age, occupation, and anatomic considerations such as the critical shoulder angle. Recently, research has also reported a genetic component as well. The rotator cuff axially compresses the humeral head in the glenohumeral joint and provides rotational motion and abduction. Forces are grouped into coronal and axial force couples. Rotator cuff tears are thought to occur when the force couples become imbalanced.
Conclusion:
Physical examination is essential to determining whether a patient has an anterosuperior or posterosuperior tear. Diagnostic accuracy increases when combining a series of examination maneuvers.