Why Does It Take So Long for Rotator Cuffs to Heal?

We all get hurt from time to time. The body is amazing, and it can heal itself with little effort. That being said, some injuries take longer than others to heal, and a rotator cuff injury is a perfect example of this.

Why Do Rotator Cuff Injuries Take So Long To Heal?

One of the biggest issues with a rotator cuff injury is that they are hard to heal because of where they are. Your rotator cuff is the group of muscles that are located in your shoulder. They help your arm move up and down, around and side to side. This is a part of your arm that you move a great deal and that it is rather hard to completely immobilize.

Since it is so hard to keep that area from moving, it is easy to repeatedly injure that area even as you are healing. Rotator cuff injury treatment can also be rather painful and uncomfortable which can make it far less likely that you will continue it.

When considering a rotator cuff injury, you also need to think about your age. As we age, the blood flow to the different areas of the body decreases. This means that there is less blood flowing to the area that is injured and that means that it will take longer to heal that area as well.

Do Rotator Cuff Tears Heal on Their Own?

These types of injuries can heal on their own. However, they are going to take a very long time to heal without intervention. We naturally have small tears in our rotator cuff whether we notice it or not. When these tears get worse or when there is a very serious injury, this is when surgery is needed.

Oftentimes, surgery is not going to be needed unless you have been in a very serious accident and your rotator cuff is very damaged, or you are very injured. In most cases, you can immobilize the area for a time and allow it to heal as well as possible, and you can then start to consider physical therapy options that might work for you.

When it comes to healing on its own, it is going to take far longer for an injury to heal on its own than it would if you were to have surgery and have it corrected. Your doctor is going to be able to better help you decide if you need surgery, or if there are other options that do not require surgery to help you heal and to help you feel better. 

Categorized in: Rotator Cuff Injury

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