77 year old Zheng Bo (pseudonym) started experiencing shoulder and neck pain a month ago, followed by weakness in his left upper limb. At that time, he thought he had suffered from cervical spondylosis, and after symptomatic treatment, there was a slight relief, but it didn't take long for the symptoms to recur, and even worsen! Zheng Bolai went to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment. After a systematic examination, Huang Xudong, the deputy chief physician of the Department of Sports Medicine and Traumatology at the hospital, informed Zheng Bo that his shoulder and neck pain was not caused by cervical spondylosis, but by rotator cuff injury. The shoulder joint is the joint with the largest range of upper limb movement, and most upper limb activities in daily life cannot be separated from it. Wei Hewei, Director of the Sports Medicine Department of the hospital, pointed out that the stability of the shoulder joint mainly depends on the muscles and ligaments surrounding the joint, and the rotator cuff is a part of it. The tendon tissue composed of four muscles wraps around the humerus like the cuff of a garment. "When there is discomfort in the shoulder and neck, the feeling of pain often involves a large area of muscle tissue, which can easily confuse cervical spondylosis with rotator cuff injury." Huang Xudong said that a considerable portion of cervical spondylosis that has not been cured for a long time is actually rotator cuff injury. The rotator cuff injury was mistakenly treated as cervical spondylosis, and even the symptoms did not improve significantly after cervical surgery. Later, it was discovered that it was a problem with the rotator cuff, and rotator cuff surgery was performed, which increased the treatment time, cost, and patient suffering. How to self test for rotator cuff injury? Huang Xudong suggests trying this method: place one hand on the other shoulder, lift the elbow joint upwards, and press down on the lifted elbow joint by oneself or others to engage in resistance exercises. If the shoulder joint can resist resistance and slowly lift up, it indicates that the rotator cuff is at a healthy level; If it cannot be lifted, it may indicate that there is some damage to the shoulder sleeves. After playing or cleaning, the most common symptom for many people is that their hands suddenly become unable to lift or have no strength to lift heavy objects. In addition, nocturnal pain, which worsens when the shoulder joint is extended from 60 ° to 120 °, is also a typical pain characteristic of rotator cuff injury. Wei Hewei pointed out that there are multiple reasons for rotator cuff injuries, one of which is the problem with the shape of the shoulder peak. The second is degenerative changes in the rotator cuff tissue. Thirdly, excessive use of the shoulder joint, such as by athletes, painters, and those who frequently do household chores, can easily lead to rotator cuff injuries. The fourth is trauma. It is worth noting that sports such as badminton, baseball, swimming, and weightlifting can cause the shoulder joints to repeatedly extend, which is actually very unfriendly to the shoulder sleeves. Sports enthusiasts should be especially careful. Wei Hewei reminds that in daily life, if you want to protect your shoulder sleeves, you should pay attention to warming up during exercise, try to maintain a standard posture, exercise in moderation, avoid high-intensity exercise, avoid excessive shoulder joint stretching, and also prevent accidental falls. At the same time, shoulder muscle training can be appropriately strengthened, such as resistance training with elastic bands. (Lai Xin She)