Patrick DenardDirector Oregon Shoulder Fellowship, Oregon Shoulder Institute · Director Oregon Shoulder Fellowship at Oregon Shoulder Institute

Ignoring a Rotator Cuff Tear? It Doesn’t Mean Nothing is Happening

23 Sept 2026 · 0 min

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Patrick Denard explains that ignoring a rotator cuff tear doesn't stop it from getting worse. A systematic review of thousands of patients found that roughly 50% of rotator cuff tears enlarge over three years, a statistic he uses to counsel patients about the risks of avoiding surgery.

ignoring a rotator cuff tear doesn't mean nothing is happening. It means something is typically happening slowly. So, do tears get bigger over time? Systematic review shows that tears progress over a year's period. Specifically, a number I like to quote to my patients is that about 50% of tears progress over a 3-year period, and that's based on series of several thousand patients which shows that data.