Looking at Manny Pacquiao's Shoulder Injury

Manny Pacquiao squared off against Floyd Mayweather this weekend with a torn rotator cuff, which New York orthopedic surgeon says limited his power during the fight.

“The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles around the shoulder that help us move our shoulder and position it in space,” said Randy Cohn, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the North Shore-LIJ Health System. “There are four muscles that make up the rotator cuff – one in the front, one on top of the shoulder and two in the back.”

The most common injury to the rotator cuff occurs in the muscle on top of the shoulder, Dr. Cohn says. In Mr. Pacquiao’s case, the injury meant he couldn’t punch as hard, Dr. Cohn says.

Rotator cuff injuries are very common with about half of people over the age of 60 having this injury to some degree, Dr. Cohn says. These injuries are only an issue if they result in people experiencing pain and weakness in their shoulder, Dr. Cohn says.

For people who are concerned about their rotator cuff injury, there are various forms of treatment, including anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, physical therapy or surgery, depending on the injury and the person’s situation. In Mr. Pacquaio’s case, Dr. Cohn anticipates that since he is an athlete and accustomed to physical training and rehabbing injuries, he will have surgery to repair his rotator cuff.

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