Overview of a Rotator Cuff Tear

Your rotator cuff may be more important to your movement than you think. Your shoulder includes your upper arm bone, collarbone, and shoulder blade. The rotator cuff contains several muscles and tendons that connect the shoulder. It secures the upper arm bone in the shoulder socket, allowing the arm a wide range of motion. When injured, it can make work and daily activities difficult and even impossible. You may be wondering if you can receive workers’ compensation for rotator cuff tears. Learn more from our Pennsylvania work injury attorneys in this article.

What Is a Rotator Cuff Tear?

A rotator cuff tear occurs when a tendon is injured. It can be painful and affect your ability to move your arm.

If a rotator cuff is healthy, it will take extreme force to tear a tendon. The tendons in the rotator cuff can easily be injured by overuse or normal wear and tear. Repetitive activities can cause the rotator cuff to become inflamed. This can eventually lead to tearing.

Symptoms of a Rotator Cuff Tear

A rotator cuff tear can cause a variety of symptoms, including the following:

• Pain when the arm is moved
• Inability to lift or rotate the arm
• Popping or tearing sound in the shoulder
• Bruising to the shoulder or the arm
• Weakness in the shoulder

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you should be evaluated by your doctor. Be honest with them about your pain and the effect the injury has on your life. You can also tell them your responsibilities at work that may have caused the tear.

Treatment of a Rotator Cuff Tear

It is difficult for a rotator cuff tear to heal. Treatment often focuses on relieving the symptom, not repairing the tear, especially when the tear is small. Nonsurgical treatments may include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, and ice packs.

Surgery may be necessary if nonsurgical treatments are unsuccessful. When the rotator cuff tear is large, a doctor may perform surgery if bone spur or calcium deposits develop or if a tear develops into rotator cuff arthropathy (shoulder arthritis). In this case, partial or complete shoulder replacement may be required to repair the injury.

How Often Do Rotator Cuff Tears Happen?

A rotator cuff tear may affect your arm movement and cause pain. How common is a rotator cuff tear, though? Many workplaces require repetitive motions and heavy lifting. Over time, some workers can easily suffer torn rotator cuffs, such as the following:

• Construction workers
• Manual labor and factory workers
• Painters
• Warehouse employees
• Large equipment operators
• Carpenters

However, a large amount of stress on the rotator cuff or enough time can cause any employee to tear these tendons.

Can I Claim Workers’ Compensation for Rotator Cuff Tears?

You could be eligible to claim workers’ compensation for your rotator cuff tear if the injury happened because of your job. You may have torn your rotator cuff in a work-related car accident, after years of repetitive motion on a factory line, or from falling off a ladder at work.

A rotator cuff tear can affect your ability to do your job and live your life. If you have a work-related rotator cuff tear, a workers’ comp settlement may be able to cover your lost wages, medical treatment, and other benefits.

Contact a Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If you have sustained a work injury in Pennsylvania that resulted in a torn rotator cuff, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. This can compensate you for lost wage payments, specific loss benefits, and medical care. Contact a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation attorney at Calhoon & Kaminsky P.C. today to review your legal rights.

Note: This article was originally published in June 2011 and was updated in March 2022 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.