Does Pain During Movement Of Upper Arm Indicate Rotator Cuff Injury?

Posted on Mon, 11 May 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 11 May 2015 Answered on

Mon, 1 Jun 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : How do I tell if occasional pain with movement in the upper area of arm (fatty muscular area near shoulder joint in front) is evidence of rotator cuff injury or tear. injury probably caused by serving tennis balls on that side about 3 weeks ago? pain noticed when move shoulder area such as reaching above or placing weight upon shldr

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Sharma (41 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You should get a ultrasound of the shoulder

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I have studied your case. Your pain in shoulder can be due to rotator cuff injuries. If you want to confirm then you will need to get ultrasound of the shoulder. It is a low cost investigation.
If you are having cuff rear then you will need to start physiotherapy. Partial tear responds well to physiotherapy. If tear is complete then you might need surgery. I hope this answer will be useful for you. let me know if there is any other followup questions.
thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar