Lesions of the Supraspinatus Tendon

The purpose of this paper is to make a survey of the literature on lesions of the tendons of the short rotator muscles of the shoulder, namely, the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. As has been pointed out by Codman,1lesions of the shoulder tendons, notably rupture of the supraspinatus tendon, are significant because of the long duration of the disability produced when they are not recognized early. This is particularly important in the laboring classes, for the disability produced by rupture of the supraspinatus tendon may be sufficient to prevent a laborer from working for two years.2 I. ANATOMIC CONSIDERATIONS Gross Anatomy. —The anatomy of the shoulder joint will be considered briefly in order to give a clear concept of the subacromial bursa, the tendons of the short rotator muscles of the shoulder, namely the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis, and the tendon of the