Yarok has mentioned ultrasound which can give a sound diagnosis of rotator cuff year but is almost impossible to give indication of grade of AC joint desperation or capsule tear.



Also you will see if there is any concomitant degeneration from chronic impingement or chronic AC joint instability. In truth I would do both - but to find someone good a ultrasound of the shoulder is hard.

Ultrasound imaging is a sonographer specific and even a good sonographer can find it hard to get a good image.

However the newer machines make getting a Image easier.

X-ray imagery has a better reliability then ultrasound but does come with small amounts of radiation (a shoulder X-ray will typically give as much radiation as spending 3-6 hours in London).


The best image combo would be MRI and x-ray both are highly reliable and give info both on joint condition and rotator cuff. If the supraspinstus shows high intensity on MRI the a ultrasound can be used to establish fullness of tear.

Hope that helps.