Supraspinatus Tendinitis eMedicine Sports

Description: Supraspinatus tendonitis is often associated with shoulder impingement syndrome. The common belief is that impingement of the supraspinatus tendon leads to supraspinatus tendonitis (inflammation of the supraspinatus/rotator cuff tendon and/or the contiguous peritendinous soft tissues), which is a known stage of shoulder impingement syndrome (stage II) as described originally by Neer in 1972. The causes of supraspinatus tendonitis can be broken down into extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Extrinsic factors are further broken down into primary impingement, which is a result of increased subacromial loading, and secondary impingement, which is a result of rotator cuff overload and muscle imbalance. In athletes whose sport involves stressful repetitive overhead motions, a combination of causes may be found.
Synonyms and related keywords: rotator cuff tendonitis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, rotator cuff tendinosis, shoulder impingement syndrome, shoulder pain, rotator cuff injury, rotator cuff tear, torn rotator cuff, shoulder injury, rotator cuff pathology, shoulder pathology, pitching injury, throwing injury
DeBerardino & Chang 2006