A rotator cuff tear can make it difficult to sleep, reach overhead, lift, work out, or return to golf and tennis. The right treatment depends on the tear and what you need your shoulder to do.
Dr. Jonathan Gelber is an orthopedic surgeon with sports medicine and regenerative treatment experience. He can help you understand whether rehabilitation, an injection, regenerative treatment, or surgery offers the most realistic path forward.
The rotator cuff is a group of tendons that helps lift, rotate, and control the shoulder. A tear can develop gradually or occur with an injury.
Some tears involve only part of the tendon. Others extend through the full thickness of the tendon. Tear size, tendon quality, strength, symptoms, and activity goals all matter when deciding what to do next.
No. Some patients improve with rehabilitation and a plan that rebuilds shoulder strength and function. Selected rotator cuff tears may also be considered for an injection or regenerative treatment.
Other tears—particularly when there is significant weakness, a traumatic injury, or a tear that is unlikely to meet the patient’s goals without repair—may be better treated surgically.
The goal is not to avoid surgery at all costs. It is to choose the treatment that gives you the best chance of getting back to what you want to do.
Dr. Gelber reviews your symptoms, examination, imaging, strength, and what you want to return to before recommending a path.
Targeted rehabilitation can improve shoulder motion, strength, control, and the capacity your activity requires.
Medication or an injection may be considered when pain is interfering with sleep, rehabilitation, or daily activity.
For selected tears, PRP, BMAC, or MFAT may be considered. The treatment and target depend on the specific tear.
Rotator cuff repair may offer the better path when the tear, weakness, or activity demands make nonsurgical treatment less likely to succeed.
Is your shoulder ready for the activity you want to return to?
As symptoms improve, strength, motion, control, and confidence still matter. Rehabilitation and reassessment help determine whether you are truly getting back—or whether the plan needs to change.
The value is not simply access to an injection or a referral for surgery. It is having an orthopedic surgeon evaluate the tear, the shoulder, and the activity you want to return to.
If a nonsurgical approach is reasonable, Dr. Gelber can explain why. If surgery is more likely to restore the function you need, he will tell you that too.
Bring your questions, any available imaging, and the activities you want to return to. You do not need to decide on a treatment before your visit.
LA Ortho & Wellness serves active adults in Toluca Lake, Studio City, Burbank, North Hollywood, and greater Los Angeles.
Dr. Jonathan Gelber of LA Ortho & Wellness provides comprehensive orthopedics, blending functional and integrative medicine for the LA area.
