Rotator cuff tears are usually caused by a traumatic injury, such as landing on the palm of the hand after falling to the ground. In middle-aged patients and older, the rotator cuff tendons tend to have degenerative changes and minor trauma can cause rotator cuff tears, with most injuries occurring in the supraspinatus tendon, near the attachment site of the greater tuberosity of the humerus. Patients may experience severe pain in the shoulder with a tearing sound at the time of trauma. The acute phase is also associated with limited shoulder motion, swelling, and subcutaneous ecchymosis. An MRI may reveal a disruption of the rotator cuff, including the supraspinatus tendon. Most of these patients also have radiating pain in the deltoid region, and the patient’s forward flexion, supination and abduction functions are severely affected.