"There are certain parts of the rotator cuff that don't get very good blood supply. So because of that patients are more prone to getting injuries in the shoulder." Dr. Armin Tehrany, Orthopedic surgeon of Mount Sinai Hospital, explains why shoulder injuries are so common today and delves into rotator cuff injuries due to bone spurs.

Doctor Tehrany:



There are certain parts of the Rotator Cuff that don't get very good blood supply so because of that patients are more prone to getting injuries in the shoulder.



One of the reasons that shoulder injuries are common is because we're a much more active population than we -- than we used to be. We've got a lot of patients who are trying to be more active and fit, working out more often, weekend warriors, and they'll try to be fit by working out just on the weekends. But the shoulders may not be ready for that. So as a result they'll go out and play a whole game of baseball and really wear out that shoulder joint but they haven't had their muscles strong enough to handle that full game and so that can lead to a lot of wear and tear and problems.



In addition there's certain parts of the Rotator Cuff that don't get very good blood supply so because of that patients are more prone to getting injuries in the shoulder.



What people know about that is cause for concern is bone spurs. Bone spurs occur at the bottom of this bone right here, this is called the Acromion. What will happen is as time goes by patients who use their arms and lift them up over their heads they impinge this Rotator Cuff right up against this bone spur as you can see right here. If the bone is flat and there are no spurs then the Rotator Cuff impinges on something flat. But if there is a bone spur and then the Rotator Cuff impinges up against the spur that can eventually lead to damage to the Rotator Cuff such as Bursitis, Tendinitis, and eventually perhaps a Rotator Cuff tear requiring surgery.