99% of adults over 40 have shoulder "abnormalities" on an MRI, study finds
4 hours ago
- #MRI overuse
- #rotator cuff
- #shoulder pain
- Up to a third of people worldwide experience shoulder pain, making it one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints.
- A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that 99% of adults over 40 had at least one rotator cuff abnormality on MRI, yet most had no shoulder symptoms.
- Common abnormalities included partial-thickness tears (62%), tendinopathy (25%), and full-thickness tears (11%), with prevalence increasing with age.
- The findings question the overuse of MRIs for diagnosing shoulder pain and highlight the issue of overtreating rotator cuff abnormalities.
- Researchers concluded that distinguishing clinically meaningful MRI abnormalities from incidental findings is currently challenging.