Rotator Cuff in Spanish

Where is the rotator cuff?

The MedlinePlus encyclopedia explains that the shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint, in which the top part of the arm bone (humerus) forms a joint with the shoulder blade (scapula). The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus into the scapula and also controls movement of the shoulder joint. Its tendons pass underneath a bony area on their way to attaching to the top part of the arm bone.

Words on a shoulder report

Rotator cuff tendinitis refers to irritation of the tendons and inflammation of the bursa, a normally smooth layer lining these tendons; the MedlinePlus encyclopedia says it is also called impingement syndrome. The bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that pads the space between the rotator cuff and the bones of the shoulder.

A rotator cuff tear occurs when one of the tendons is torn from the bone from overuse or injury. In a partial tear the tear does not completely sever the attachments to the bone; a complete, full thickness tear goes all the way through the tendon.

What it means

The rotator cuff is part of the shoulder joint: a group of muscles and tendons that holds the top part of the upper arm bone firmly in the shoulder socket. It keeps the shoulder stable when you move your arm in any direction. The MedlinePlus encyclopedia describes it as a group of muscles and tendons that attach to the bones of the shoulder joint, allowing the shoulder to move and keeping it stable. Rotator cuff injuries are common, and most are wear-and-tear injuries from doing the same arm movements over and over, especially reaching over the head. The injuries MedlinePlus names are tendinitis, bursitis, and rotator cuff tears, which may go part way through a tendon (partial tear) or all the way through (full tear).

Spanish term: Manguito rotador
Gender and article: masculine: el manguito rotador
Pronunciation: mahn-GHEE-toh rroh-tah-DOR

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
manguito de los rotadores	General	Form used throughout the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article, and alongside manguito rotador on the MedlinePlus en español topic page.
manguito rotatorio	General	Form used in the title of the MedlinePlus en español topic page, Lesiones del manguito rotatorio del hombro.

Manguito rotador is masculine: el manguito rotador. MedlinePlus en español writes it three ways. Its topic page is titled Lesiones del manguito rotatorio del hombro, asks ¿Qué es el manguito rotador? in the text, and also writes manguito de los rotadores; its encyclopedia article uses manguito de los rotadores. The Spanish dictionary gives manguito an anatomy sense, a tendinous capsule that covers a joint, and a separate medical sense: the piece of a blood pressure device that is placed around the arm.

Injury words in MedlinePlus en español: a tear is un desgarro, either desgarro parcial or desgarro completo; tendinitis and bursitis are spelled as in English; and impingement syndrome is síndrome de pinzamiento. The encyclopedia article names the bones as húmero for the upper arm bone and omóplato, with escápula in parentheses, for the shoulder blade.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My shoulder hurts when I lift my arm or reach behind my back.	Me duele el hombro cuando levanto el brazo o lo estiro detrás de la espalda.
Clinician	Does it hurt more when you lie on that shoulder?	¿Le duele más cuando se acuesta sobre ese hombro?
Patient	Yes, and I hear a clicking sound when I move my arm.	Sí, y oigo un chasquido cuando muevo el brazo.
Clinician	Did the pain start suddenly, after a fall or after lifting something heavy?	¿El dolor empezó de repente, después de una caída o de levantar algo pesado?
Clinician	I am going to check your range of motion and the strength of your arm.	Voy a revisar el rango de movimiento y la fuerza del brazo.
Clinician	The MRI shows a partial tear in a rotator cuff tendon.	La resonancia magnética muestra un desgarro parcial en un tendón del manguito rotador.
Patient	What is the difference between a partial tear and a full tear?	¿Cuál es la diferencia entre un desgarro parcial y un desgarro completo?
Patient	At work I raise my arms over my head a lot. Could that be the cause?	En el trabajo levanto mucho los brazos por encima de la cabeza. ¿Puede ser esa la causa?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Rotator Cuff
Spanish (Español)	Manguito rotador
Chinese (中文)	旋轉肌袖
Korean (한국어)	회전근개
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bao xơ khớp vai (manguito rotador)
Filipino (Tagalog)	Rotator cuff (kalamnan ng balikat)
Portuguese (Português)	Manguito rotador
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	กล้ามเนื้อโรเตเตอร์คัฟ
Japanese (日本語)	腱板

Where you'll see it

radiology reportchartclinic notesoperative report

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Bones, joints and muscles

All terms in this area: Bones, joints and muscles — Huesos, articulaciones y músculos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.