Is There a Better Way to Heal a Rotator Cuff Injury?

Rotator cuff injuries are one of the most common causes of shoulder pain—and one of the most frustrating to fully heal. Whether your injury was caused by repetitive overhead movement, a traumatic fall, or age-related wear and tear, you’ve likely heard the same recommendations: rest, ice, pain meds, and physical therapy. If the pain doesn’t go away? Cortisone shots or surgery.

But here’s the problem: these treatments often focus only on the site of pain, and not on why the rotator cuff failed in the first place.

At True Health Centers in Arvada, we approach rotator cuff injury treatment differently—by treating the shoulder as part of your entire kinetic chain.

What Is the Rotator Cuff and How Does It Get Injured?

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons that stabilize your shoulder

joint and allow for a wide range of motion.

Common causes of injury include:

• Repetitive overhead activity (throwing, painting, lifting)

• Poor posture or muscular imbalances

• Sudden trauma or falls

• Degeneration from aging or poor circulation

A rotator cuff injury is not one specific injury; rather one or more ailments of the rotator cuff complex from inflammation (tendinitis) to partial or full-thickness tears of the muscles or tendons. Symptoms often include dull aches, weakness when lifting the arm, disrupted sleep, and limited range of motion.

Why Conventional Treatments Often Fall Short

Most conventional treatments begin with rest, NSAIDs, and generalized physical therapy. If pain persists, many patients are steered toward corticosteroid injections or surgery.

While these can offer short-term relief, research shows that:

• Corticosteroid injections can weaken tendons over time .

• Surgery has mixed results, especially for partial tears or older adults .

• Many physical therapy programs lack specificity or fail to address upstream causes in the body.

What’s missing? A comprehensive, whole-body evaluation of why your rotator cuff became vulnerable in the first place.

The Kinetic Chain: Why Your Shoulder Isn’t the Only Problem

At True Health Centers, we know your shoulder doesn’t work in isolation. It’s part of a larger

kinetic chain—a system of muscles, joints, and nerves that must work in harmony.

For example:

• Limited hip mobility can throw off your torso rotation and overload the shoulder.

• Weak core or glutes can force your shoulder to overcompensate.

• Nerve tension from the neck or thoracic spine can create faulty shoulder mechanics.

That’s why we look beyond the rotator cuff to understand your whole body’s movement patterns and health status.

A Holistic Approach To Treating Rotator Cuff Injuries

Medical Massage Therapy

Our licensed massage therapist specializes in rotator cuff dysfunctions. Through deep tissue work, trigger point release, and myofascial techniques, we:

• Break up scar tissue

• Improve circulation and nutrient delivery to injured tendons

• Release compensatory muscle tightness (especially in traps, pecs, and neck)

  
  

Physical Therapy + Dry Needling

Our PT-led sessions target the root of dysfunctional movement:

• Guided rehab to re-pattern safe shoulder mechanics

• Mobility work for thoracic spine, ribs, and scapula

• Dry needling to reset muscle tone and break chronic trigger points—especially effective for subscapularis and infraspinatus tightness

Chiropractic Care

We realign the spine and shoulder complex to reduce nerve irritation and improve joint biomechanics:

• Cervical and thoracic adjustments for better nerve flow

• Shoulder joint mobilizations

• Postural correction to offload the rotator cuff

Naturopathic Medicine

Inflammation and poor tissue repair don’t just come from mechanics—they’re often systemic. Our naturopathic doctor addresses:

• Inflammatory triggers

• Hormonal or metabolic issues that impair healing

• Natural supplementation to support collagen, circulation, and recovery

Average Rotator Cuff Injury Healing Times

Under a conventional model of medicine, you can expect a rotator cuff injury to take anywhere from 6 weeks to over a year to fully recover.

• Minor tears: May heal within 6-12 weeks with rest, physical therapy, and pain management. 

• Moderate tears: Can take 3-6 months to heal with surgery and physical therapy. 

• Severe tears: May require surgery and can take up to a year or more to fully recover. 

But we aren't conventional medicine. When you give your body the resources it needs to heal, it can heal much more quickly, and fully, than you think. And the best part? We don’t just fix the shoulder. We restore confidence, function, and peace of mind.

If you've tried PT, injections, or massage in the past and it didn’t work—it doesn’t mean your shoulder can’t heal. It means you were missing a piece of the puzzle.

By combining physical, biochemical, and emotional treatment strategies under one roof, we treat the true root causes of your injury—not just the symptoms.

You’ll feel the difference from day one.

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