The four muscles that make up the rotator cuff help to stabilize the shoulder while it's in motion, such as raising your arm overhead. These muscles can be damaged or torn via an acute injury or, more commonly, through the daily wear and tear of the aging process. The main symptoms of a rotator cuff tear are pain and weakness, but other signs may also indicate a tear.
Pain
Pain is one of the primary symptoms of a rotator cuff tear. A tear may be acute, meaning it occurs suddenly after a forceful action, such as pitching a ball, according to the Sports Injury Clinic website. Or it may be chronic, meaning it results from age and usage, especially repetitive overhead motion.
In acute tears, severe pain may extend all the way along the arm immediately following a tearing or snapping sensation at the site of the tear. The severe pain may last a only few days, but the specific point where the tear occurred will continue to be painful to touch.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, chronic tears occur because the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles---most often the supraspinatus tendon---rub across bony structures around the shoulder. This can cause the tendons to become weakened and inflamed, which causes pain. The pain may be intermittent and nonspecific at first, possibly occurring only with overhead activities. Gradually, the muscle and tendon fibers become frayed and torn, and the pain becomes more chronic, often noticeable at night or when lying on the side of the affected shoulder.
Whether acute or chronic, a torn rotator cuff will generally cause pain in the shoulder during the action of lifting or lowering your arm.
Weakness
Another common symptom of a rotator cuff tear is weakness in the shoulder, states The Stretching Institute. As a tear progresses, you will be increasingly unable to raise or lower your arm out to the side. Your doctor may ask you to perform the Drop Arm, or Codman's, Test. In this test, your arm will be placed over your head. You must then lower the arm slowly and in a controlled manner. If you can't do this, or if it's extremely painful, your rotator cuff is torn.
Muscle Atrophy
Over a period of time, a rotator cuff tear will lead to muscle atrophy. The muscle becomes obviously smaller and weaker, because it can't be built up or strengthened when it isn't firmly attached to a bony structure at both ends.
Crepitus
Many people with rotator cuff tears will notice a crackling-type noise in their shoulder joint when they try to move it. This noise is called crepitus and is frequently a sign of inflammation or other joint damage.
