Tenuous Relation Between Rotator Cuff Tears and Pain

By some estimates, full-thickness rotator cuff tears occur in at least 10% of older adults. Many patients are asymptomatic; among those who are symptomatic, we don't know whether pain severity is associated with anatomic characteristics of rotator cuff tears. Researchers addressed this question in a study of 393 patients with symptomatic, atraumatic full-thickness tears documented by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Most tears involved the supraspinatus tendon.

MRI measures of presumed severity of the tear (e.g., degree of retraction, humeral head migration, supraspinatus atrophy) did not correlate with pain severity, as recorded on visual-analog pain scales. In contrast, number of medical comorbidities and lower education level correlated …