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. 2021 Apr 26:18:150-156.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.04.019. eCollection 2021 Jul.

The biomechanics of the rotator cuff in health and disease - A narrative review

Ahsan Akhtar  1 , James Richards  1 , Puneet Monga  1
Affiliations

The biomechanics of the rotator cuff in health and disease - A narrative review

Ahsan Akhtar et al. J Clin Orthop Trauma. .

Abstract

The rotator cuff has an important role in the stability and function of the glenohumeral joint. It is a complex anatomic structure commonly affected by injury such as tendinopathy and cuff tears. The rotator cuff helps to provide a stabilising effect to the shoulder joint by compressing the humeral head against the glenoid cavity via the concavity compression mechanism. To appreciate the function of the cuff it is imperative to understand the normal biomechanics of the cuff as well as the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of cuff disease. The shoulder joint offers a wide range of motion due to the variety of rotational moments the cuff muscles are able to provide. In order for the joint to remain stable, the cuff creates a force couple around the glenohumeral joint with coordinated activation of adjacent muscles, which work together to contain the otherwise intrinsically unstable glenohumeral joint and prevent proximal migration of the humerus. Once this muscular balance is lost, increased translations or subluxation of the humeral head may result, leading to changes in the magnitude and direction of the joint reaction forces at the glenohumeral joint. These mechanical changes may then result in a number of clinical presentations of shoulder dysfunction, disease and pain. This narrative review aims to highlight the importance of functional rotator cuff biomechanics whilst assessing the kinetics and kinematics of the shoulder joint, as well as exploring the various factors involved in cuff disease.

Keywords: Biomechanics; Disease; Health; Review; Rotator cuff.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Anatomical structures around the shoulder, in particular showing the insertions of the rotator cuff tendons (courtesy of shoulderpedia.co.uk).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Diagrammatic representation of the transverse plane force couple (courtesy of shoulderpedia.co.uk).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Diagrammatic representation of the joint reaction forces acting across the shoulder joint (courtesy of shoulderpedia.co.uk).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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