Shoulder Sick Rotator cuff Syndrome 1.6x more than 10 years ago...sudden exercise caution in spring

May 01, 2025

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The shoulder is the joint with the widest range of movements among the joints of our body. Muscles and tendons, as well as the bones of the arms and torso, play an important role in the movement of the shoulders. Rotator cuff refers to muscles that wrap the shoulder joint and are involved in the safety and exercise of the shoulder, and rotator cuff syndrome is a disease that causes inflammation, degenerative changes, and trauma in the rotator cuff consisting of four muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder, causing pain and discomfort in the shoulders and arms.

There were 552,620 patients with rotator cuff syndrome in 2014, but 89,024 patients in 2023, an increase of 1.6 times compared to 10 years ago.

Rotator cuff syndrome is divided into rotator cuff tendinitis, which is a condition of inflammation or degenerative changes in rotator cuff muscles, rotator cuff rupture with torn tendons or completely broken tendons, collision syndrome in which inflammation and rupture have progressed due to repeated friction between shoulder cuff bones and rotator cuff tendons, and rotator cuff arthroplasty, which is a condition in which the rupture is left unattended for a long time and even the cartilage of the shoulder joint is damaged

Lee Kwan-beom, head of orthopedic surgery at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, said "Recently, more and more people are visiting hospitals for shoulder pain due to excessive use of shoulder muscles due to exercise. If you suddenly start exercising while your muscles and ligaments are weak due to reduced exercise in winter, you can strain your joints even if it's not too much exercise."

Director Lee Kwan-beom said, "The treatment of rotator cuff syndrome depends on the degree of rotator cuff damage, age, function, pain, and discomfort in daily life. Therefore, treatment is performed to reduce pain and restore shoulder function. If there are conservative treatments such as medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, and rehabilitation exercises, there is no improvement in symptoms even in conservative treatments, and if there is a severe decline in function or a major disruption in daily life, surgical treatment is performed."

In addition, section chief Lee Kwan-beom said, `Symptoms of rotator cuff syndrome usually appear in the neck and shoulders, and when you raise your arms or put your hands behind your back, the pain becomes severe, the range of motion is reduced, and when you move your arms, you may hear a fricative sound from your shoulders. If left untreated, inflammation may worsen, chronic muscle regression, or rupture, so if symptoms appear, it is recommended to consult a specialist."

In order to prevent shoulder pain and rotator cuff syndrome, it is better to relax your shoulder muscles sufficiently through exercise or stretching before and after housework to prevent muscle damage, do not put excessive pressure on your shoulders, such as lifting heavy objects, and maintain the right posture and rest when using repeated arms.