Swimming (sport) less stress on joints. Due to continuous rotation and usage, the shoulder (rotator cuff) is the joint most susceptible to injury in swimmers. As opposed to a single incident, injury to the rotator cuff in swimmers is a result of repeated trauma and overuse. The joint is most prone to injury when the arm is repetitively used in a position above the horizontal. This position occurs in each of the four swimming strokes in every cycle of the arms. Of the four muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff, the injury, or tear, is most likely to occur in the
Rotator cuff tear cuff, allowing for the repair of the cuff without disruption of the deltoid origin. The results of decompression alone tend to degrade with time, but the combination of repair and decompression appears to be more enduring. Repair of a complete, full-thickness tear involves tissue suture. The method currently in favor is to place an anchor in the bone at the natural attachment site, with resuture of torn tendon to the anchor. If tissue quality is poor, mesh (collagen, Artelon, or other degradable material) may be used to reinforce the repair. Repair can be performed through an open incision, again requiring