Risk Factors

Risk factors for rotator cuff tear: the number one would be age. A second would be some sort of trauma. Whether you’re young or old, if you have some sort of shoulder trauma, it is entirely possible that you could have an injury to your rotator cuff. There also are anatomical issues that can put patients at an increased risk for a rotator cuff tear. For instance, there’s a bony structure in the shoulder that’s called the acromion. The acromion comes off of our scapula and it overlies our rotator cuff. The acromion can have three different configurations: There’s a type 1 acromion, which is flat like this *Demonstrates*. Then there is a type 2 acromion which has a gentle curve, which is the most common type of acromion that I see. Then there’s a type 3 acromion which is like a hook at the end of the acromion. When patients have that anatomy with the hook, that puts them at increased risk for rotator cuff issues because that acromion can irritate the rotator cuff and cause rotator cuff tears.