Do I Need Surgery for my Rotator Cuff? | Shoulder Surgeon - Dr. Bill Sterett

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In this Sports Medicine Minute video, Dr. Bill Sterett answers the question, "Do I need surgery for my rotator cuff?". Dr. Sterett is a sports medicine doctor with a special focus in shoulder care at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery in Vail, Colorado.
Not all rotator cuff tears need surgery right away. It turns out that in a study conducted, 50% of asymptomatic patients over the age of 50 have a rotator cuff tear on their MRI. If your rotator cuff tear is symptomatic - meaning you can't sleep at night, lift your arm, or can't do things you want - then it's recommended to look into rotator cuff surgery. The rotator cuff does not heal on its own.
There are three risk factors of rotator cuff tears not healing after surgery.
1. The size of the tear. Small tears have a 95% chance of healing. A massive tear - more than 5 cm of the rotator cuff is torn - there is a 50% chance of the rotator cuff of healing.
2. Was the injury acute, or chronic. The more recent the injury occurred the better chance of healing.
3. How much the muscle has degenerated. If the injury occurred 10 years ago and the muscle has been replaced by fat, then it is likely not worth repairing the rotator cuff.
To learn more about rotator cuff tears, please visit Dr. Sterett's website: drsterett.com/rotator-cuff-in....