... tissue (or bursa) lies on the surface of the rotator cuff tendons. The tendons and bursa normally glide smoothly between the bone at the tip of the shoulder (called the acromion) and the top of the upper arm bone (the humerus.) When the rotator cuff muscles contract, they pull on the rotator cuff tendons, allowing the shoulder to move through the ... . The rotator cuff tendons can be torn with a fall on the outstretched arm, which causes the rotator cuff to be pinched between the upper arm bone and the shoulder blade (acromion). The rotator cuff can also be torn by chronic impingement of...

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