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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
10:10
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
43.2K
[Can a fall onto the shoulder (direct impact) cause a rotator cuff tear?]
Richard W Nyffeler1,2, Alois Lustenberger3, Philipp Bissig4
1Orthopädie Sonnenhof KLG, Salvisbergstrasse 4, 3006, Bern, Schweiz. richard.nyffeler@bluewin.ch.
Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany)
|February 20, 2024
Abstract:
The question of whether a fall directly onto the shoulder can cause a rotator cuff tear has occupied doctors (and courts) for many years. Experts who rely on the medical insurance literature usually reject the causality of the incident. There are no scientific studies on this. The report below describes a typical case in which a fall directly onto the shoulder caused a massive rotator cuff tear.
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