The Shoulder

Total rupture of the supraspinatus tendon

Clinical Symptoms

Prevalence

Middle-aged and elderly people.
Most full-thikness cuff tears appear to ocur in a supraspinatus tendon that is weakened by some combination of age, repeated episodes of trauma, subacromial impingement, hypovascularity of the tendon, and previous partial thickening.
In this case the onset is insidious and the pain may even be completely absent.

A rupture may also be the result of a sudden mostly indirect trauma.
In this case ther will be intense pain and functional loss during the first days or weeks.

Clinical picture

Distinction should be made between:

An acute pathology
A chronic situation