Teres Minor Muscle Atrophy

Abstract

Isolated teres minor atrophy has a reported incidence in the literature of 3% to 6.2%. » There are 2 distinct muscular bundles of the teres minor that have varying degrees of atrophy. Fatty degeneration of the medial-dorsal component exceeds that of the lateral-ventral component in most cases.» A healthy and intact teres minor muscle is of functional importance in the setting of a complete infraspinatus tear because it becomes the only external rotator of the shoulder joint.» Clinical and functional outcomes after rotator cuff repair and reverse shoulder arthroplasty for patients with teres minor atrophy in the setting of a rotator cuff tear are still controversial.

Understanding Fibrous Tissue in the Effective Healing of Rotator Cuff Injury

“…The supraspinatus, originating superior to the scapular spine, inserts on the greater tuberosity of the humerus [ 2 ], while the infraspinatus, originating below the scapular spine in the infraspinatus fossa, inserts on the posterior aspect of the greater tuberosity [ 3 ]. The teres minor, originating from the lateral border of the scapula, inserts on the inferior aspect of the greater tuberosity, distinguishing it from the non-rotator cuff muscle, teres major [ 4 ]. The subscapularis muscle, originating on the anterior surface of the scapula directly over the ribs, inserts on the lesser tuberosity of the humerus [ 5 ].…”