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The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons and their related muscles that cover the shoulder joint. The rotator cuff helps keep the shoulder stable and allows the arm to rotate or move up, down, in, and out.
Tendons are tough, rope-like fibres that connect muscles to bones. The rotator cuff muscles are called the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. Tendons connect the rotator cuff muscles, which start at the shoulder blade (scapula), to the upper arm bone (humerus).
Current as of: November 9, 2022
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:William H. Blahd Jr. MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine & Brian D. O'Brien MD - Internal Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Timothy Bhattacharyya MD - Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Trauma
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