Orthopaedic MD

Painter described calcification in the shoulder in 1907. Codman established that the calcification was within the tendons of the rotator cuff. Calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder is characterized by the presence of macroscopic deposits of hydroxyapatite (a crystalline calcium phosphate) in any tendon of the rotator cuff.1 This article addresses only calcifying tendinitis as it occurs in the shoulder.
Synonyms and related keywords: calcifying tendinitis, calcific tendinitis, calcified tendinitis, calcareous tendinitis, tendinosis calcarea, calcific tendinopathy
Anthony H Woodward, MD 2007

Rotator cuff injuries are a common cause of shoulder pain in people of all age groups. They represent a spectrum of disease, ranging from acute reversible tendonitis to massive tears involving the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis. Diagnosis is usually made through detailed history, physical examination, and often, imaging studies. Often, younger individuals with rotator cuff injuries relate a history of repetitive overhead activities involving the rotator cuff or, less commonly, a history of trauma preceding clinical onset of symptoms. In contrast, older individuals usually present with a gradual onset of shoulder pain and, ultimately, after radiographic testing are shown to have significant partial or full rotator cuff tears without a clear history of predisposing trauma. Nonoperative or conservative treatment is usually sufficient to heal the problem in the vast majority of individuals, with a few exceptions that are discussed.
Synonyms and related keywords: rotator cuff tear, rotator cuff tendonitis, supraspinatus tendonitis, subacromial tendonitis, impingement syndrome, shoulder injury, shoulder pain, loss of shoulder motion, supraspinatus atrophy, infraspinatus atrophy, entrapments of suprascapular nerve, scapular winging, scapulohumeral rhythm, adhesive capsulitis, dropping of the arm, scapula rotators, drop-arm test, Neer impingement test, Hawkins-Kennedy impingement test, apprehension test, relocation test, intrinsic tendinopathy, curved acromions, hooked acromions, rotator cuff tendinopathy
Malanga et al 2006

Supraspinatus tendonitis is often associated with shoulder impingement syndrome. The common belief is that impingement of the supraspinatus tendon leads to supraspinatus tendonitis (inflammation of the supraspinatus/rotator cuff tendon and/or the contiguous peritendinous soft tissues), which is a known stage of shoulder impingement syndrome (stage II) as described originally by Neer in 1972. The causes of supraspinatus tendonitis can be broken down into extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Extrinsic factors are further broken down into primary impingement, which is a result of increased subacromial loading, and secondary impingement, which is a result of rotator cuff overload and muscle imbalance. In athletes whose sport involves stressful repetitive overhead motions, a combination of causes may be found.
Synonyms and related keywords: rotator cuff tendonitis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, rotator cuff tendinosis, shoulder impingement syndrome, shoulder pain, rotator cuff injury, rotator cuff tear, torn rotator cuff, shoulder injury, rotator cuff pathology, shoulder pathology, pitching injury, throwing injury
DeBerardino & Chang 2006