What is fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff?
What is fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff?
Fatty degeneration is a degenerative condition of the tendon-muscle unit of rotator cuff muscles, characterized by atrophy of muscle fibers, fibrosis, and fatty accumulation within and around the muscles.
Is fatty infiltration of muscle reversible?
Fatty infiltration is irreversible and progressive if left untreated. Slight reversal of muscle atrophy has been noted after repair in some studies.
What is muscle fatty infiltration?
Fatty Infiltration in Skeletal Muscle: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms. Aging in humans is accompanied by a loss of subcutaneous fat but an accumulation of AC and lipids in non-adipose depots, such as bone marrow, liver, and skeletal muscle (2).
What is a massive rotator cuff tear?
A massive rotator cuff tear occurs when at least two of the four rotator cuff tendons have torn away from or have retracted from the attachment site on the humerus (upper arm bone). A massive rotator cuff repair is a surgical treatment to repair the torn tendons that make up the rotator cuff.
What causes fatty atrophy of a muscle?
Muscle atrophy (reduced muscle bulk) is a nonspecific sign, and it may occur as a consequence of muscle disuse, tendon tear, or denervation. Fatty infiltration (replacement of muscle fibers by fat) is mostly seen in association of chronic, massive rotator cuff tear.
Can fatty muscle atrophy be reversed?
Abstract. Muscle atrophy and fat accumulation occur after rotator cuff tearing. Whether these changes are reversible after a successful repair is still unknown.
What causes fat infiltration?
But these risk factors make you more likely to develop it: Being obese or overweight. Having Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance. Having metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels).
How does fatty infiltration develop?
More specifically, a full-thickness tear of a rotator cuff tendon can result in retraction of the muscle belly and its tendon. Retraction of the muscle belly may lead to a change in the pennation angle between the muscle fibers and the subsequent development of fatty infiltration [9].
What happens if you wait too long for rotator cuff surgery?
The bottom line is that based on these studies, 6 months appears to a reasonable timeline within which to repair the rotator cuff and optimize one’s outcome. When delayed, there is often progression in tear size and a decreased biologic potential for healing.