Rotator Cuff Lesions in Patients with Stiff Shoulders: A Prospective Analysis of 379 Shoulders

Conclusions: Shoulder stiffness with severe and global loss of passive range of motion is not associated with full-thickness rotator cuff tears, although some patients may have a partial-thickness tear. Shoulders with severe and global loss of range of motion at a first visit are likely to be cases of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis and may not require further imaging studies.

http://jbjs.org/cgi/content/short/97/15/1233?rss=1

Source: The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - August 5, 2015 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Ueda, Y., Sugaya, H., Takahashi, N., Matsuki, K., Kawai, N., Tokai, M., Onishi, K., Hoshika, S. Tags: Shoulder Scientific Articles Source Type: research