Thanks to improved techniques in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), accurate diagnosis leading to targeted correction is the rule of the day for this common but significant injury.

Rotator cuff injuries are most often the result of overuse, rather than a sudden traumatic event. The rotator cuff, the group of four muscles that helps to lift and rotate the arm and stabilize the ball of the shoulder within the joint, is situated such that the tennis serve and many other athletic activities, can cause tearing and substantial pain over time. The extent of the injury was formerly much more difficult to determine than it is today.

In a report by physicians at with the Harvard University Medical School’s Department of Radiology, in Boston, Massachusetts, the type of improvements and how they have impacted diagnosis and treatment are outlined. According to the report, improvements in magnetic resonance techniques, including fast spin-echo imaging and fat saturation, have facilitated demonstration of tendinous abnormalities of the rotator cuff.

Since rotator cuff disease is caused by a variety of factors, pinpointing the cause can prove difficult. The improved MRI can successfully determine whether there exists a primary impingement within the coracoacromial arch, a degeneration of the rotator cuff tendons, trauma, glenohumeral instability or other contributing factors. Shoulder pain in tennis players can also be related to acute myotendinous and muscle injuries, which can be easily detected using magnetic resonance imaging.

For those suffering from rotator cuff injury, the most meaningful aspect of such advanced MRI is the accuracy and noninvasive nature of diagnosis. In the past, diagnosis took the form of open or arthroscopic exploration into the shoulder. Although arthroscopic surgery was less invasive than the open form, both took added recovery time. The minimally invasive character of MRI can usually provide the correct diagnosis, with no need for diagnostic surgery preceding the corrective method. For professional athletes of all kinds, this could mean a prolonged career.