99% of adults over 40 have shoulder "abnormalities" on an MRI, study finds

"Breaking the findings down to shoulders instead of people, of the 1204 shoulders in the study, 1,076 (90 percent) were asymptomatic while 128 (10 percent) were symptomatic. Of the 1,076 asymptomatic shoulders, 96 percent had RC abnormalities (1,039 of 1,076) and of the 128 symptomatic shoulders 98 percent had abnormalities (126 of 128)."

""While we refer to these findings as abnormalities, many likely represent normal age-related changes rather than clinically relevant structural changes," the authors write. "Adopting more precise and less value-laden terminology-such as lesion, defect, fraying, disruption, structural alteration, or degeneration-may help reduce patient anxiety and the perceived need to do something or fix something by avoiding language that implies trauma or a requirement for repair.""

Of 1,204 shoulders examined, 1,076 (90%) were asymptomatic and 128 (10%) symptomatic. Ninety-six percent of asymptomatic shoulders and 98 percent of symptomatic shoulders had rotator cuff abnormalities on MRI. Prevalence of tendinopathy and partial-thickness tears was similar between groups. An apparent higher rate of full-thickness tears in symptomatic shoulders disappeared after adjusting for other MRI-detected abnormalities and confounders. Many MRI-detected abnormalities likely represent normal age-related structural alterations rather than clinically relevant pathology. Clinicians should contextualize MRI findings and use less value-laden terminology to reduce patient anxiety and unnecessary interventions.

Read at Ars Technica