Just like 4.5 million Americans each year, Wesley Linton and Michaela “Pinky” Puno visited their doctors with extreme shoulder pain. However, today they are able to keep doing what they love, work and support their families. Linton, a firefighter in Winston Salem, North Carolina, can rescue victims from fires, complete 50 push-ups with no pain and lift patients needing assistance. Puno, an amateur ballroom dancer, can continue improving her technique, practice two hours a day and dance competitively. Both patients are able to live full lives thanks to the rotator cuff surgery they had to ease their shoulder pain.

In their cases, Linton and Puno required surgery to repair their rotator cuffs. However, many patients do not require surgery to alleviate their shoulder pain.  The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently released Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) to help guide orthopaedic surgeons as they determine when a patient requires surgery. The AUC covers five different common treatments for rotator cuff injuries and helps clinicians identify when each type of treatment is appropriate.