Find out what the tear means for your shoulder
Rotator cuff tears vary in size, depth, cause and the quality of the surrounding tissue. An injury with new weakness can raise different questions from a tear that developed gradually. Tell the clinician when symptoms began and what changed after any specific event.
Ask the physician to connect the examination with the images. Which tendon is involved? Is the main limitation pain, stiffness or loss of strength? Bring examples such as lifting a pan, reaching a shelf or controlling a tennis serve. These details help clarify the treatment goal.
Sources: AAOS OrthoInfo: Rotator Cuff Tears
Compare symptom improvement with tendon repair
Rehabilitation can improve pain and function in selected patients even though it does not necessarily close a full-thickness tear. Surgery attempts to repair the tendon when the tissue and overall circumstances make that reasonable. These are different treatment goals.
The 2025 AAOS guideline supports meaningful improvement with either rehabilitation or repair in selected small-to-medium tears, while also recognizing that tear size and muscle changes can progress during longer-term nonsurgical care. Ask what that evidence means for your tear and how the shoulder would be monitored if you choose rehabilitation.
Sources: AAOS: Management of Rotator Cuff Injuries Clinical Practice Guideline
Ask what makes repair possible and worthwhile
Tear size, tendon retraction, muscle condition and tissue quality can affect the discussion. Ask whether the proposed operation is a complete repair, partial repair or a different strategy, and why. If additional biceps or joint problems are present, ask whether they change the plan.
Discuss the possibility of incomplete healing or another tear, along with infection, stiffness and other surgical risks. Ask what outcome is realistic for pain and for strength separately. A reassuring explanation can acknowledge uncertainty without leaving you unsure about the purpose of the operation.
Sources: AAOS OrthoInfo: Rotator Cuff Tears—Surgical Treatment Options
Plan for the protection phase
A small skin incision does not mean the tendon is ready for immediate use. Repair rehabilitation usually progresses through protection, assisted or permitted motion, active movement and later strengthening. The timing depends on the repair and your surgeon’s protocol.
Ask how you will dress, sleep, bathe and manage work while the arm is protected. If you care for someone, use a walking aid or rely heavily on that arm, raise it before scheduling. Make sure your therapist receives the actual operation details and restrictions.
Sources: AAOS OrthoInfo: Rotator Cuff Tears—Surgical Treatment Options
Make the nonsurgical plan measurable too
If rehabilitation is the first step, ask what it will target and when the shoulder should be reassessed. Track a few relevant tasks, night symptoms and clinician-selected strength or motion measures. Ask what change would make surgery worth revisiting.
Bring prior therapy instructions, injection dates, medication information and any earlier shoulder images. If opinions differ, ask which feature of the tear or your goals explains the difference. You should understand both the recommendation and the alternative well enough to discuss the decision in your own words.
Explore our shoulder and sports medicine team
At Commons Clinic, Dr. Eric Millstein, Dr. Allyson Estess and Dr. Christopher Combs provide shoulder care, including arthroscopic procedures. Dr. Millstein and Dr. Estess describe rotator cuff repair within their clinical focus. Their profiles and the patient experiences below offer more context as you choose a physician who can explain the options and stay connected through recovery.
Ask what an injection changes about future options
Mayo Clinic describes corticosteroid injections as a possible source of temporary relief, while also raising concerns about tendon strength and later surgery. If an injection is offered, ask how its short-term purpose fits with the longer-term plan for the tear.
Bring the dates, location and response to previous shoulder injections. Ask whether another injection would affect the timing or choice of an operation, and which alternatives could help you participate in therapy. The answer should reflect the tendon being treated and your overall health; an injection that helps someone else may not answer the same question for you.
Separate symptom improvement from tendon repairability
HSS discusses how tear size, muscle changes and delay can affect the difficulty of a repair. Feeling somewhat better after therapy and having a tendon that remains repairable are related but different issues. Ask how the team will judge each if you choose to continue nonsurgical care.
Have the surgeon explain what is known about your tear now and what would prompt reassessment. If repair is recommended, ask which findings shape the expected result and what uncertainty remains about healing. Discuss how the plan would change if the tendon cannot be repaired as expected, so possible alternatives are understood before surgery.
Sources: Rotator Cuff Surgery: How It Works and Recovery Time
Make the most of your visit
Questions to bring to your consultation
Choose the questions that matter most to you. Bring them along, and ask us to explain anything that is unclear.
- Which tendon is torn, and how does that fit my weakness or pain?
- What do retraction, muscle condition and tissue quality mean for repair?
- What could rehabilitation improve without repairing the tear?
- How would we monitor the shoulder if I wait?
- What operation are you proposing, including any biceps treatment?
- What could limit tendon healing or leave symptoms behind?
- How will protection, motion and strengthening be staged?
- What help will I need with daily tasks and return to work?
- Would another injection affect the timing or options for a later repair?
- How will we monitor function and repairability if I continue therapy?
- What is the alternative plan if the tendon cannot be repaired as expected?
Sources & further reading
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Rotator Cuff Tears
- AAOS: Management of Rotator Cuff Injuries Clinical Practice Guideline
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Rotator Cuff Tears—Surgical Treatment Options
- Rotator cuff injury: Diagnosis and treatmentMayo Clinic
- Rotator Cuff Surgery: How It Works and Recovery TimeHospital for Special Surgery
We use these medical sources to help explain your options and prepare you for a conversation with our team. Our guides feature our own clinicians; patient reviews describe individual experiences.
