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

Rotator Cuff Tears: 2 Out of 3 Don't Hurt

18 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief segment, Patrick Denard cites epidemiological ultrasound studies from a Japanese village and U.S. data to illustrate the rising prevalence of full‑thickness rotator cuff tears over the past decades (approximately 11% in the 1950s, 22% in a recent Japanese sample, and 37% in the 1980s). He highlights a striking finding: two‑thirds of individuals with such tears report no symptoms. The core message is that the presence of a rotator cuff tear on imaging does not automatically explain shoulder pain, cautioning clinicians and patients against assuming causality based solely on MRI or ultrasound findings.

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There was another interesting study done in Japan, and they looked at ultrasounds on people who were in a village. 22% had a full-thickness rotator cuff tear, and this went up from about 11% in the '50s to 37% in the '80s. Again, U.S. data actually says it's a little bit higher, but what's interesting in that study is that 2 out of the 3 people who had tears had no symptoms at all. So just because you have a rotator cuff tear doesn't mean It's actually causing a problem. So a tear on your MRI is not automatically the cause of your pain.