The purpose of this study was to examine the arthrographic findings of injuries of the infraspinatus tendon (ISP) and to evaluate the change of the lesion from the plural findings. 171 shoulders (ranging from 14 to 40 years of age) were examined, who were suspected injury of an ISP. The majority were caused by the sport like baseball (75.4 %), and followed by volleyball and handball. The painful phase and the physical findings were analyzed. The latter consisted of tenderness on the ISP, muscle atrophy of the ISP and latissimus dorsi muscle stiffness. The injury of the ISP were also examined by arthrography. The findings of the injury were classified into three groups. Grades 1, 2, and 3 were defined as intact, pooling, and torn type respectively. We evaluated the relationship between the classification and the antero-posterior instability, the slipping phenomenon and the existence of the posterolateral notch like lesion of the humeral head. Forty-seven who had a renovated state of ISP were also evaluated arthrographically. Grades 1,2, and 3 were 17.0, 46.8, and 36.2% respectively. The degree of the ISP injury tends to be associated with instability. There was a relationship between an ISP injury and a postero-lateral notch like lesion. Although there was a renovating tendency of the ISP injury arthrographically (48.9%), these findings did not improve in some cases. However, they had less pain clinically and recovered their sports activity by proper treatment. The injury of a ISP is related to functional instability in sports activities and the pathogenesis can be suspected from the physical and roentgenographic findings. An injured ISP seems to have the possibility of natural healing.
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