rotator cuff
- noun
- /ˈroʊˌteɪtər kʌf/
- Specialized
- Literature shows that rotator cuff disease is common in patients aged 60 years or older.
- rotator cuff injury
- rotator cuff muscles
- rotator cuff tear
Got on the IR, blew my rotator cuff.
- Got on the IR, blew my rotator cuff.
- We'll review that MRI, a rotator cuff tear and then a young athlete with just a small medial meniscus tear that might need to do well with an injection.
- I wonder how many lawsuits there have been of people who like, just like thick bitches that tore their rotator cuff.
Examples
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Repetitive overhead movement of your arms can stress your rotator cuff muscles and tendons, causing inflammation and eventually tearing.
Blog text (33) -
As you get older, your risk of a rotator cuff injury increases.
Blog text (33) -
I used to pitch a little single A ball till the old rotator cuff started acting up.
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I tore my rotator cuff.
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Rotator cuff tears are a common shoulder condition that influences patients' shoulder function and health-related quality of life.
Academic text (2017) -
No patient exhibited clinical or magnetic resonance imaging evidence of a rotator cuff tear.
Academic text (2015) -
When you slouch your neck and shoulders forward, the space where the rotator cuff muscles reside can become smaller.
Blog text (33) -
Rotator cuff tears are frequently managed nonoperatively; however, when conservative management fails, surgery is indicated.
Academic text (2017) -
A rotator cuff injury includes any type of irritation or damage to your rotator cuff muscles or tendons.
Blog text (33) -
He underwent surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff after years of playing baseball.
Surface Forms
Morphology
rotator + cuff
The term is compositional: 'rotator' (a muscle that produces rotation) combined with 'cuff' (a band or covering) yields the sense of a band of rotator muscles/tendons around the shoulder. This matches common anatomical compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can reasonably infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Rotator cuff paints a simple picture: rotator comes from the idea of 'to turn' and cuff is like the edge of a sleeve that wraps around something, so imagine a sleeve of muscle around the shoulder. That's why the term names the muscles and tendons that wrap the shoulder and help the arm turn.