Shoulder pain that is not shoulder pathology - a shoulder surgeon's guide to concomitant cervical spine and rotator cuff disease.

BackgroundRotator cuff and cervical spine disease are complex and nuanced conditions that commonly coexist, creating a challenging treatment paradigm.MethodsAn algorithmic approach to diagnosis and management is developed in this study and illustrated through clinical vignettes.ResultsThe diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of concomitant shoulder and neck conditions may be simplified by this approach.ConclusionShoulder surgeons should seek cervical disease with a high index of suspicion and understand cervical conditions that may take surgical precedence to rotator cuff repair.