When most people hear the words “rotator cuff injury,” they conjure up images of overextended baseball pictures icing their shoulders in the locker room. But as veteran Illinois workers' compensation lawyers, we at the offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates, PC, realize that rotator cuff injuries are not exclusive to relievers for the White Sox or Cubs.

In fact, rotator cuff tears and damage to surrounding cartilage (meniscus) may be far more common than most people – even most physicians – realize. CAT Scans, X-rays, and other medical technology have revealed (at least according to one study) that nearly 40% of people who suffer from shoulder pain have some kind of rotator cuff tear. Even more curiously, although rotator cuff injuries typically occur in one arm at a time (often due to overuse of that arm), the opposite "healthy" shoulder often develops a parallel rotator cuff tear – and no one knows why! It's almost as if the body abhors asymmetries so much that it intentionally damages the healthy rotator cuff simply to preserve balance.

Rotator cuff tears comprise a class of injuries as opposed to a single kind of injury. Four muscles control the dynamics of the shoulder ball joint: the supraspinatus, subscapularis, infraspinatus, and teres minor. They can all be damaged in various ways, and different kinds of damage obviously require different kinds of treatments.

A surprising variety of Chicago employees can be at risk for rotator cuff tears, including service and industry workers, truckers and rail-road workers, machine operators, and even office workers. For instance, a secretary who incorrectly hoists a box of printer paper may tear one of the aforementioned four muscles, resulting in acute pain and potentially long term damage.

A Chicago workers' compensation attorney, like Steven J. Malman, can protect you from greedy insurance companies and advocate for you as you proceed with your diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. It costs nothing to consult with our veteran workers' compensation rotator cuff injury lawyers, and you can count on our famous no fee guarantee. Find out more about how we work here at www.malmanlaw.com, or connect with us today at 1-888-MALMAN-LAW.