Abstract
One of the most common soft tissue injuries of the musculoskeletal system is injury to the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder. These injuries are commonly attributed to factors such as overuse activity and extrinsic compression. Previous studies on the rotator cuff have been based on surgical reconstructive or clinical retrospective standpoints and were not designed to test hypotheses related to the causes of rotator cuff tendinosis. Our previous study has identified the rat as an appropriate in vivo animal model in which to study rotator cuff disease based on anatomic and functional similarities [1]. The current study uses this animal model to study the roles of extrinsic compression, overuse, and overuse combined with extrinsic compression, on the development of rotator cuff tendinosis. It was hypothesized that a single injury factor would be insufficient to create persistent tendinosis and a combination of injury factors would be necessary.
Rotator Cuff Tendinosis in an Animal Model: The Role of Extrinsic and Overuse Factors