Full-thickness bilateral rotator cuff tears as a result of a bench-pressing accident: case report and literature review of treatment of bilateral rotator cuff tears

Abstract

Rotator cuff injuries are frequent pathologies presenting to orthopedic surgeons. These injuries especially occur among older adults due to intrinsic or extrinsic degeneration. They can however present in young athletes, but as result of different etiologies. Overhead athletes may incur rotator cuff injuries due to repetitive trauma. Bilateral simultaneous traumatic shoulder dislocations have been reported in the literature following acute trauma or weight-lifting activity, but bilateral traumatic rotator cuff tears following bench pressing is an unusual presentation in a young individual. To our knowledge, there has been no previous report describing this injury. This article presents a case of a young male athlete who had bilateral rotator cuff tears after a barbell bench press. Both shoulders were treated operatively in a sequential manner, three months apart, and the patient regained excellent functional status 24 months postoperatively.