Rotator Cuff

About the Rotator Cuff

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons that surround the shoulder joint: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis, often remembered by the acronym SITS. They arise from the shoulder blade and attach to the head of the humerus, forming a cuff that holds the ball of the humerus centered in the shallow socket of the glenoid. This stabilizing role is essential because the shoulder sacrifices bony stability for an exceptionally wide range of motion. Individually, the supraspinatus helps lift the arm out to the side, the infraspinatus and teres minor rotate it outward, and the subscapularis rotates it inward. Rotator cuff problems are a very common cause of shoulder pain, especially with increasing age and repetitive overhead activity, and range from tendinopathy and impingement to partial and full thickness tears, which become increasingly common in older adults and are often present without symptoms. Large tears may be repaired surgically, often arthroscopically.