Torn rotator cuff in children??

[momof2inohio]

My DS 12 has been complaining that his shoulder is really hurting him. He thinks he has a torn rotator cuff. I had no clue he even knew what a rotator cuff is My DS plays a lot of sports and he is playing lacrosse right now. His bookbag for school is really heavy. I am wondering if either or both have contributed to this.

I have never heard of a kid having a torn rotator cuff before. My DH actually has a torn rotator cuff but he opted to not have surgery since he has heard from others that is usually does not help.

I am going to wait about a week to see if my sons shoulder pain clears up and if not take him to the Dr. I really hope he does not have a torn rotator cuff. Poor kid.

Anyone else know more about this or have has surgery for it? Thanks!

[atcwag]

I'm a certified athletic trainer working in the high school setting. A torn rotator cuff in a child that young would be highly unlikely. Without seeing him or knowing his complete symptoms, I would say it is something like a muscle strain and/or multi-directional instability. Could be scapular dyskinesia....Basically these last 2 are muscle imbalance leading to less than ideal shoulder range of motion/stability. All kids think that if they have big biceps, deltoids, lats, etc. they have a good shoulder. In reality, it is the small intrinsic muscles that allow proper shoulder function. Did he have a "exact" injury, i.e. fell or got shoulder pulled behind him and suddenly was in a lot of pain/that's when his pain started? If not, then it's not a rotator cuff tear. A family Dr./pediatrician would not be appropriate to diagnose this. If this lasts more than 2 weeks (with allowable time for rest and healing time), I would look into taking him to an orthopedic and/or see the athletic trainer at his school (if you have one at the high school). In the meantime, make sure he's doing a lot of general (and light) shoulder stretching and also consistent ice, especially when it's sore.

Also, if the pain is not necessarily interfering with his everyday life and is just sore, then rotator cuff tear is not your culprit.

[momof2inohio]

Thanks for your help! I am going to wait it out and see how he feels next week. He has been in physical therapy before for his knee. So I may take him back there to see if they can help with his shoulder.

[TeePee]

My DH just had this surgery on Monday and I was hoping this was about the surgery and what to expect. I am not having the easiest time dealing with him and what to expect and struggling with no one understanding

[3timesoccermom]

TeePee - try googling that info. I'm sure you will find lots.

Momof2 - you might want to give atcwag a little more info about your son's activities. I think I remember you saying he was doing something year round and that might help her a bit more with her advice and suggestions. If he stays involved in sports aches and pains will be a permanent part of his life but it's tricky when you don't know if its overuse or a real injury.

[momof2inohio]

TeePee - try googling that info. I'm sure you will find lots.

Momof2 - you might want to give atcwag a little more info about your son's activities. I think I remember you saying he was doing something year round and that might help her a bit more with her advice and suggestions. If he stays involved in sports aches and pains will be a permanent part of his life but it's tricky when you don't know if its overuse or a real injury.

He plays football, lacrosse and does wrestling. Right now he is just doing the lacrosse. Its on his right shoulder which he uses alot for lacrosse. He didn't have any kind of injury to it. He just started complaining about it hurting a few days ago. Hopefully it is just overuse of the shoulder.

He has had problems with his knee that comes and goes. The Dr. ruled out juvenile arthritis and referred me to a physical therapist which he went to during football season when his knee was acting up. Poor guy, he is too young to be having all these aches and pains.

[atcwag]

Yes, with all those sports, definitely sounds like overuse. I would let him rest for a few days and let it heal. Wrestlers are notorius for multi-directional instability, so that sounds like a likely culprit.

[dalton&riley]

My son has wrestles 6 months out of the year and also has multidirectional instability. This really has created havoc for him. He is so strong in the front that it actually pulls his shoulder forward and compensates for the weaker cuff and back muscles. He had a separation last year and partial dislocation in March. He was given exercises by a physical therapist that address those weaker muscles so that the shoulder as a whole is stronger and less likely to sustain injury. We got the referral to the therapist by an orthopedic surgeon. You might want to consult someone in that field to get the proper referrals. I think those exercises could help if the instability is what is causing his problems.