This program involves a home therapy kit which includes elastic bands of six different colors and strengths, a pulley set, and a three-piece, one-meter-long stick. The program is individually customized. Participants are asked to use their exercise program whether at home, work, or traveling. Surgery
Benefits of surgery are unclear as of 2019. Several instances when surgery may be recommended include:

20 to 30-year-old active person with an acute tear and severe functional deficit from a specific event
30 to 50-year-old person with an acute rotator cuff tear secondary to a specific event
a highly competitive athlete who is primarily involved in overhead or throwing sportsThese individuals more often benefit from operative treatment because they are willing to tolerate the risks of surgery to return to their preoperative level of function, and have higher likelihood of a successful outcome. Those who do not respond to, or are unsatisfied with, conservative treatment can seek a surgical opinion.The three general surgical approaches are arthroscopic, mini open, and open-surgical repair. In the past, small tears were treated arthroscopically, while larger tears would usually require an open procedure. Advances in arthroscopy now allow arthroscopic repair of even the largest tears, and arthroscopic techniques are now required to mobilize many retracted tears. The results match open surgical techniques, while permitting a more thorough evaluation of the shoulder at time of surgery, increasing the diagnostic value of the procedure, as other conditions may simultaneously cause shoulder pain.
People who play sports that involve overhead motions, such as swimming, water polo, volleyball, baseball, tennis, and American football quarterbacks, are at a greater risk of experiencing a rotator cuff tear. Striking-based combat sports, such as boxing, also account for severe rotator cuff injuries of competitors, typically when their punches miss the target, or overusing the shoulder by throwing excessively large amounts of punches. Certain track-and-field activities, such as shot put, javelin throw are also of considerable risk, especially when performing outdoors under cold weather conditions or neglecting warming-up procedures, for proper warm-up of the throwing and/or swinging arm can help reduce the stress on the musculature of the shoulder girdle. Corticosteroid injections around the tendons increases the risk of tendon tear and delay tendon healing. Mechanisms of injury
The shoulder is a complex mechanism involving bones, ligaments, joints, muscles, and tendons. The two main causes are acute injury or chronic and cumulative degeneration of the shoulder joint. Mechanisms can be extrinsic, intrinsic or a combination of both.The cuff is responsible for stabilizing the glenohumeral joint to allow abduction and rotation of the humerus. When trauma occurs, these functions can be compromised. Because individuals are dependent on the shoulder for many activities, overuse can lead to tears, with the vast majority being in the supraspinatus tendon.The role of the supraspinatus is to resist downward motion, both while the shoulder is relaxed and carrying weight. Supraspinatus tears usually occurs at its insertion on the humeral head at the greater tubercle.