Can a strained rotator cuff lead to a TEAR in the rotator cuff?? B/c last year at about this time I went to the doctor b/c my shoulder was hurting when I would throw (for softball)..He told me I have really loose shoulders, which I do b/c I've always noticed that when I either lift something heavy or i just grab onto something and pull away from it while still holding on, it looks almost like it pops out of socket. It doesn't actually pop out, it's just how loose my shoulders are. You can see like a big dent in my shoulder where it pulls away from the socket. Anyways, he said that's ok, it's just loose or whatever. But anyways, I got off track. My shoulder has started hurting again, is it possible to hurt it even worse if I keep throwing hard? I mean, I don't really have a choice anyways, but I just wanna know if it's likely that I could tear it. Anyone know about this stuff?

well, if you continue to do activities that stress the joint and the structures within, of course you can injure it further. Yes, a strain CAN lead to a tear with further acitivity that leads to more injury. If you are having more and worse pain, you should stop what is causing pain and see a doctor before you cause yourself to need surgery. You might even NEED surgery at this point depending on what your assessment yields.

I'm more than sure that I don't need surgery at this point b/c it hurts JUST like it did last year. I'm wondering if it's not b/c of the cold. It's easier to injure muscles in the cold weather right? It never hurts any more than just this and how it hurt last year, so, of course, if it gets worse, I'll go see a doctor again, but for now, I know what's wrong w/it. Thanks for responding!