Medical conditions

Muscle tears are characterized by a loss of the normal structure of a muscle, with rupture of some muscle fibers. Depending on the severity of the condition, they may range from very mild tears involving rupture of only a few muscle fibers to complete tears that may require surgical treatment. Muscle tears may cause local pain, pain radiating to the upper limb, scapula and armpit, loss of strength, difficulty or inability to perform certain movements, and functional limitations. In the shoulder, muscle tears are most frequently located in the rotator cuff muscles (the group of muscles surrounding the shoulder: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor). Tears may be caused by trauma involving the upper limb leading to rupture of muscle fibers, but they may also be of degenerative origin, often preceded by tendinitis/tendinosis (see), which causes progressive weakening of the structures and may later result in a nearly spontaneous tear.