Discover what are the SHOULDER TENDONS

The shoulder is a very mobile joint in the body. The shoulder is made up of a set of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons that allow the union between the trunk and the upper limb, arm, stay in the correct position and be able to perform a large number of movements of different kind. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will see what are the tendons of the shoulder and two of the most common shoulder tendon injuries. If you want to know more, we invite you to continue reading!

The shoulder is an articular complex formed mainly by three bones(clavicle, scapula and humerus, to which the sternum can also be added), muscles, ligaments and a few tendons. The tendons are bands of fibrous tissue, mainly collagen, that are bind muscle and bone. These bands of tissue transmit the force generated by the muscles to the bone, as if they were a thick rubber band, allowing them to move.

Tendons are associated with the so-called tendon sheaths. The tendon sheaths are a series of tubes filled with fluid (similar to the one in the synovial bags of the joints) and they are found in those parts where the tendons have to turn or pass over the protruding bones. This liquid takes care of

dampen friction and it prevents the movement of the tendons from causing them to rub and wear more than they should. These sheaths wear out with age, so it is more common in elderly people to develop tendonitis or partial tears of the tendons due to continued friction.

Remember not to confuse tendons with ligaments; the ligaments are bands of connective tissue that, unlike tendons, are not elastic at all and are found mainly in the joints between bones, to cushion the friction that occurs when they move one over another.

The shoulder is a joint complex in which we can find two groups of tendons: the rotator cuff tendons and the biceps tendons.

Rotator cuff

The rotator cuff is an anatomical term that is used to name the set of muscles and tendons that are responsible for giving stability to the shoulder, that is, keeping it in place while it moves. It is basically made up of four muscles and the tendons that accompany them (which are named in the same way): supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor (or teres minor) and subscapular.

The complex formed by the muscle and the supraspinatus tendon is responsible for the abduction of the arm, and is the one that is most easily injured; the infraspinatus muscle and tendon function as external rotators of the arm; the round minor or teres minor It is responsible for externally rotating the shoulder in abduction while the subscapularis is responsible for the internal rotation of the shoulder.

Biceps tendons

The biceps brachii is the muscle found in the upper anterior region of the arm. Accompanying this muscle we can find three tendons: two of them are the proximal biceps tendons (long head and short head), which are responsible for attaching the biceps to the shoulder and the distal biceps tendon, which is responsible for attaching this muscle to the elbow.

The long head of the biceps (LHB) is a very important tendon within the joint complex of the shoulder as it runs through the entire glenohumeral joint: its journey begins in the glenoid cavity and passes through the anterior part of the shoulder to join the biceps brachial.

In this other lesson we will discover a complete list with shoulder muscles.

The more frequent injuries that occur in the tendons are the tendinitis. Tendonitis is the inflammation, irritation or swelling of any tendon in the body. Most often, tendonitis occurs in the extremities, especially in the elbow, heel, shoulder, or wrist. In this lesson we will discuss the two most common shoulder tendon injuries: supraspinatus tendonitis and bicipital tendonitis.

• Inflammation of the tendon associated with supraspinatus muscle it is called supraspinatus tendinitis and it is the most common shoulder tendon-related injury. This injury is produced by the repeated friction that occurs when the head of the humerus rubs with the acromion, the final area of ​​the scapula, when we raise our arms above the head. This movement is very common in daily tasks, but also in the practice of many sports, which is why this is the most common shoulder tendon injury from both wear and tear and trauma.
• Another of the most common shoulder tendon injuries is bicipital tendonitis. The bicipital tendinitis It is caused by inflammation of the tendon of the long head of the biceps brachii muscle. This injury usually affects people who play sports such as swimming, golf, volleyball and tennis and is often associated with supraspinatus tendinitis. The biceps tendon can also tear or break partially or totally, the most common being that it occurs because the tendon was previously damaged or worn.