Today, we had a chance to speak with two of our leading experts in the Occupational Injuries Mark and John, regarding rotator cuff tears. They spoke about the diagnostic and treatment of this condition. Check it out.
“Recently, I have consulted a great number of patients with RCTs. They complained about the condition of their tears that seemed to be negatively affected a long time before rather than with the newly acquired injuries. Such observations are valid because much evidence and researches are confirming the presence of non-acute partial and full-thickness tears that manifest themselves with the age. However, such a condition can be managed not only with surgery. What are the other ways of handling RCTs in your case? Are there many of your patients who solely try to determine the age of their tears before consulting a physician? – Mark
“As for me, I prefer sending such patients firstly to physical therapy combined with taking a rest for a particular amount of time daily. After, my practices are based on NSAIDs application before doing an MRI. Finally, after some time, we proceed with MRI but it allows us to see whether physical therapy contributes to enhancement or not only. Usually, surgery is the most common solution for RCTs but some of the old chronic tears can be perfectly managed with physical therapy only. Regarding the number of my patients, yes. I have had many patients who tried to diagnose and treat a poor health condition on their own.” – John
“Yes, John. I completely agree with you that it is not compulsory to send a patient for MRI first. It can be postponed even for 6 weeks depending on the success of physical therapy. However, in some young adults, it is the only way to prevent complications. Soon, I will write an article for the AAPA-OM newsletter, and I will do my best to gather as much information as possible regarding this matter from the other colleges. Let’s see how they cope with such health conditions.” – Mark
As you may see, this conversation another time demonstrates that surgery should not be considered as the only possible treatment for RCTs. It is the last option. Especially, surgery is not a variant for patients whose poor condition of tears is not referred to as acute injury. Thus, regular checkups, physical therapy, and forehanded preventive measures should be encouraged to stay healthy.