intrasubstance supraspinatus tendon tear

[MrPhysio+]

Hello Maria,
If you see a sports physio or shoulder specialist physio there is little chance any tear would be aggravated. Some interesting facts: on scanning 100% of 80 year olds, 80% of 70 year olds and 50% of 60 year olds have tears in the supraspinatus tendon whether or not they have symptoms. Also, up to 50% of ultrasound scans give incorrect results ie false positive, false negative or innaccurate estimate of tear size. It is quite possible to have a supraspinatus tear without symptoms, which means that even if a tear is confirmed there may be other reasons for the symptoms. Sometimes a tear can settle, but the muscles supporting the shoulder can be affected by the previous pain or swelling, creating a problem of shoulder joint stability and / or alignment that may be giving you the current problems, or at least contributing. A sub acromial bone spur can form to create problems and the supraspinatus tendon may become partially calcified due to ongoing trauma or initial trauma.

All the above is written to show that shoulders are complex and the symptoms can be caused by many factors. Scans alone are insufficient to base treatment decisions upon. Proper diagnosis requires scans, physical assessment, history taking, possible cause and integrating response to treatment. Sometimes a diagnosis requires visualisation of the area via arthroscopy which may then proceed to repair. There are treatments that can be tried before surgery that can be effective in stopping the need for surgery. MRI is better than ultrasound for scanning. 3D CT scans are wonderful to visualise the bony structural alignments eg bone spurs.
Once again, I hope this information helps.
Cheers,
MrPhysio+