Editor’s note: This article is part of the Health and Fitness page’s weekly series about sports injuries based on information from the physical therapists of Cyclone Sports Medicine. This week, Michael Shaffer will spotlight rotator-cuff injuries.

Although rotator-cuff injuries are probably best known for sidelining baseball pitchers, it isn’t just hurlers who have “cuff” problems.

Michael Shaffer, physical therapist at Cyclone Sports Medicine, said there are two main causes of rotator-cuff injuries: repetitive overuse and traumatic incidents, such as falling on ice.

Identifying a rotator-cuff injury is simple, Shaffer said. A cuff injury will bring intense pain during the morning and evening hours.

“You’ll know you have a rotator-cuff injury if you wake up in the morning and it hurts,” he said. “You feel better when you’re warmed up in the afternoon, and you hurt again later in the day from working it too hard.”

Shaffer said it is impossible to ignore the injury, as the rotator cuff is used often in everyday life.

“It will hurt whether you are lifting a gallon of milk out of the fridge or just combing your hair,” he said.

Shaffer said the pain is a result of an inflammation or irritation of the fluid-filled sac located between the shoulder blade and the rotator cuff, often called the “bursa.”

In most cases, he said, the injury happens to the dominant arm. Rotator-cuff injuries are not usually severe and most often are simple inflammations.

However, if the injury is severe, it can lead to impingement syndrome, Shaffer said.

“Impingement syndrome occurs when the cuff and bursa pinch if someone does activities above shoulder level,” he said.

Shaffer said the only treatment for the injury is to rebuild the tendons around the rotator cuff.

“People can improve their shoulder with conservative physical therapy care,” he said.

If rehabilitation does not ease the pain, Shaffer said a physician might allow a patient to receive a pain-killer injection.

Shaffer said one way to prevent a cuff injury is to be careful not to put too much emphasis on building deltoids and to focus on improving the range of the shoulder.

“Many people concentrate too much on the deltoid muscle exercises,” he said.

Shaffer said a good exercise for individuals looking to prevent a rotator-cuff injury would be to lie on their side on a bench with a dumbbell in one hand. With the arm parallel to the floor, rotating it back and forth will strengthen the rotator-cuff tendons. Other suggestions included shoulder raises and lateral pulldowns.

“Good prevention includes incorporating these strengthening exercises into your routine,” he said, “and also addressing the flexibility and endurance of the shoulder muscle.”