Calcific Tendonitis

Calcific tendonitis refers to calcium build-up in the rotator cuff (calcific deposit).

When calcium builds up in the tendon, it can cause a build-up of pressure in the tendon, as well causing a chemical irritation. This leads to pain. The pain can be extremely intense. The cause of the calcium build up is unknown. Most commonly, it occurs without an injury.

What are the symptoms?

The pain in the shoulder is usually on the front and side of the shoulder. The pain often worsens when doing certain activities such as reaching, lifting or sleeping on the affected shoulder.

In severe cases, the pain is a constant ache that can disrupt your day-to-day activities.

How do you diagnose calcific tendonitis?

Your provider can make the diagnosis after taking a careful history, performing an exam of the shoulder as well as an X-ray.

The X-ray will show the calcium deposit and confirm the diagnosis.

How do you treat calcific tendonitis?

The best treatment for the calcium deposit is an injection into and around the deposit. This will help the body reabsorb the calcium and help relieve the pain. Sometimes more than one injection is needed.

An X-ray can be taken six weeks after the injection to determine if the calcium deposit is getting smaller.

If the calcium does not go away with an injection and the pain is still present, then surgery can be done.

A minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery can be performed to remove the calcium deposit.

Recovery Timeline

• 2 days: Stop using the sling and use the arm with light activity. No lifting more than 5 lbs.
• 2 weeks: Start stretching the shoulder to regain motion.
• 6 weeks: Start strengthening the shoulder with physical therapy.
• 12 weeks: The shoulder will still hurt, but it should be better than 6 weeks ago.
• 6 months: Most patients are back to light or medium duty jobs. Patients who need to do heavy lifting will need more time before they can return to work full duty.
• One year: Most patients have 80-100% pain relief at this time and can do most activities.

If the patient has no pain but the calcium deposit is still present on the X-ray, no further treatment is needed.

The calcium deposit will eventually be reabsorbed, and it will not cause further injury.