Non-Operative Management
We cannot recommend for or against the use of NSAIDS, activity modification, ice, heat, iontophoresis, massage, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF), or phonophoresis (ultrasound) for nonoperative management of rotator cuff tears.
Rationale
In symptomatic patients with full thickness rotator cuff tears, treatment objectives are decreased pain, increased function, and enhancement of activities of daily living. Although we found no specific evidence demonstrating treatment efficacy, neither did we find evidence that the following modalities were ineffective non operative treatment alternatives for rotator cuff tears: NSAIDS, activity modification, ice, heat, iontophoresis, massage, TENS, PEMF, phonophoresis (ultrasound).