In a population-based cross-sectional study of 602 Finnish adults aged 41 to 76 years who underwent bilateral 3-Tesla shoulder magnetic resonance imaging and standardized clinical assessment, 99% had at least one rotator cuff abnormality, including tendinopathy in 25%, partial-thickness tears in 62%, and full-thickness tears in 11%, with prevalence and severity increasing with age. Rotator cuff abnormalities were present in 96% of asymptomatic shoulders and 98% of symptomatic shoulders, and after adjustment for coexisting imaging findings and clinical examination results, even full-thickness tears were not independently associated with symptoms, calling into question the diagnostic value of routine imaging for atraumatic shoulder pain.

Source: JAMA Internal Medicine, Invited Commentary