Rotator Cuff Tear Myths That Keep You Hurting

If you've been told you have a rotator cuff tear, this is everything I wish I'd known before my own rotator cuff surgery, and everything I tell my patients now. I'm a physical therapist, and I've had my rotator cuff and labrum repaired myself. Part of my Rotator Cuff Tears series. The shorts from this series are on my Instagram and TikTok: @allenengle.pt What's covered: - What a rotator cuff tear actually is, and partial vs full-thickness tears - What your MRI can and can't tell you - Why it hurts at night, and two pillow setups that help - Whether a torn rotator cuff heals, and whether you need surgery - Cortisone shots, and the exercises that matter most - What surgery recovery is really like, and how to avoid a retear Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:35 What a rotator cuff tear actually is 1:38 Your MRI says rotator cuff tear 2:43 Why it hurts at night 4:09 Will a torn rotator cuff heal on its own? 5:17 Does every rotator cuff tear need surgery? 6:34 Cortisone shots for a rotator cuff tear 7:38 The exercises that matter most 9:12 How much does rotator cuff surgery hurt? 10:12 Can it tear again after surgery? 11:29 Outro Sources: Colvin et al., Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2012 Ibounig et al., JAMA Internal Medicine 2026 Le et al., American Journal of Sports Medicine 2014 Desmeules et al., Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2025 Kukkonen et al., Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 2021 Hopewell et al., The Lancet 2021 Cimino et al., Arthroscopy 2020 Reinold et al., Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2004 Smith et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine 2017 My free shoulder program for rotator cuff pain: https://allenenglept.netlify.app/ This video is for education only and isn't medical advice. If you have shoulder pain or an injury, see a licensed provider for an evaluation. #rotatorcuff #shoulderpain #physicaltherapy