Do I have a rotator cuff injury?

Question

About an hour or two ago I noticed that my right shoulder really hurts.

It hurts to lay down (I almost cried when I did)

It hurts to turn my head.

Typing is ok. Moving my lower arm is ok.

It hurts to try and do a large circle with my arm.

I have had ice on it for the last hour and it's not helping me at all.

Answer 1

Normally you get a rotator cuff injury in sports, such as gymnastics, or if you fall off a ladder etc. With such an injury you normally can not lift your arm up in all the directions you used to. Or maybe you can't lift it at all. This is a soft tissue injury and can be very painful. At the hospital there are ways to look at the tissue to see if there are tears. An operation is normally possible. However, almost all these injuries can be healed with physical therapy over about 5-9 months, depending on the severity of the injury.