170 patients with rotator cuff syndrome will be filmed abducting and flexing their arms before learning a simple maneuver that alleviates most of the pain 90% of the time. They will then be filmed performing the same abduction and flexion of their arms. The patients will rate their pain on the common 10-point pain scale after abducting and flexing their arms before and after the maneuver.

Facial expression and truncal metrics correlate strongly with occurrence and intensity of pain. Rotator cuff syndrome almost invariably gives significant pain, especially with abduction and flexion of the arms. A simple maneuver that alleviates that pain 90% of the time, by activating the subscapularis to perform the function of the damaged supraspinatus muscle. This study strives to correlate facial and truncal characteristics with the ten-point pain scale by correlating the filmed changes in facial and truncal characteristics with the variations in patient-rated pain before and after the pain-controlling maneuver.

Once effective, the maneuver may be repeated for a number of days, after which time patients generally remain pain-free permanently.

Inclusion Criteria:

Rotator cuff syndrome -

Exclusion Criteria:

Psychological or emotional instability

Other orthopedic conditions of the shoulders

Cosmetic facial surgery

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After qualifying, patients are randomized into intervention or control groups. The investigator and care provider then film the patient, teach the interventional or sham maneuver, and film the patient again. The outcomes assessor then evaluates the patient responses and filmed behaviors, but is not informed about whether the patient received the interventional maneuver or the sham maneuver.