Musculoskeletal / VISUAL EXPLAINER
How a Rotator Cuff Tear Affects the Shoulder
A rotator cuff tear damages a tendon around the humeral head and can weaken lifting or rotation. Partial-thickness and full-thickness describe depth; full thickness does not mean the entire width is torn.
READ THE IMAGE
What the illustration shows
Gold headline reads “How a Rotator Cuff Tear Affects the Shoulder”. On a navy and cyan field, an ivory shoulder cutaway shows the acromion arching over a pale supraspinatus tendon, with a small red frayed tendon lesion above the humeral head. Leaders identify acromion, tendon, local tear and humeral head. Below, matched fibrous tendon slabs contrast a shallow surface tear with a central hole passing through the thickness while fibers remain continuous on both sides. The round hole is a conceptual depth-versus-width diagram, not typical tear morphology or a surgical defect. Text says full thickness does not mean the whole width is torn. Gold AllHumanBody.com and the project slogan finish the poster.
How to interpret this poster
- Selected supraspinatus example, not all four tendons or exact footprint. No diagnostic grading from image, inevitable disability or treatment.
- AI-assisted educational illustration; not physician certification, a diagnosis or individualized medical advice.
- Fine annotations require enlargement; preserve the full uncropped illustration and its qualifiers.
AI-assisted educational illustration, adapted into web-sized images without changing its composition. This is general education, not an individual diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
EVIDENCE / CONTEXT
Sources and what they support
- AAOS: Rotator cuff tears ↗
Tendon injury, partial/full depth and possible weakness.