How Do You Check Yourself For A Torn Rotator Cuff?

The question was, how do you check yourself for a torn rotator cuff? You really can’t. You need to confirm the diagnosis of a rotator cuff tear.

You need some sort of imaging. Unless you have an MRI or an ultrasound machine at your house and you’re skilled in that way, I think it’s going to be tough.

One risk factor is having trouble sleeping at night. If your shoulder keeps you up at night, the chance that your shoulder pain, the source of it, is a tear on the rotator cuff goes up very high.

So you really can’t. No physical exam or history is found, which is 100% accurate with rotator cuff tears. Some increase the probability, but you need to have some sort of imaging done.

It needs to be soft tissue imaging. Ultrasound is the preferred method because it is faster, easier, and cheaper for patients. Many surgeons use it, but some doctors will need an MRI.