Factors associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy and physiotherapeutic treatments. Short review

Abstract

Introduction. Tendinopathy is a common clinical problem and carries a significant disease burden, not only in terms of healthcare costs, but also directly for patients due to time off work and impact on quality of life. Tendinopathy is a multifactorial spectrum of tendon disorders affecting different anatomical sites and characterized by activity-related tendon pain; Among them, rotator cuff tendinopathy as a common recurrent cause of shoulder pain in athletes and the aging population. Objective. The purpose of this paper is to describe the factors associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy, as well as the different physiotherapeutic treatment alternatives. Methodology. This research work is documentary, retrospective and descriptive based on the search for literature in online databases, according to the items proposed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), which include identification, selection and inclusion of the consulted literature. Results. The search allowed the consultation of scientific articles obtained from eight online databases, published between 2015-2023. The studies analyzed describe multiple factors associated with tendinopathy in general and that of the rotator cuff specifically, as well as the different treatment options available. Conclusion. The bibliographic material consulted allowed us to establish that rotator cuff tendinopathy is the most frequent pathology in the shoulder and a common recurrent cause of pain, where extrinsic and intrinsic factors play an important role for its development and establishment. This situation has generated the development of multiple treatment alternatives, among which are conservative treatments, known and applied in physiotherapy; however, the incomplete understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the tendon hinders the development of specific therapies that definitively support its efficacy.