Sonnabend and Young dissected shoulders from 23 species — ranging from rats and sheep to chimpanzees and a tree kangaroo — to map which animals actually possess a true rotator cuff (defined as intertendinous blending of supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor) and whether cuff formation correlates with overhead forelimb use.
When evaluating animal model data on rotator cuff repair or pathology, remember that rats, rabbits, dogs, and sheep have no true rotator cuff — their tendons insert independently, so biomechanical and healing data from these models may not translate directly to the blended human cuff.
The integrated tendon architecture unique to hominoids means repair constructs must restore not just individual tendon footprints but the force-sharing continuity between tendons.
Sonnabend and Young dissected shoulders from 23 species — ranging from rats and sheep to chimpanzees and a tree kangaroo — to map which animals actually possess a true rotator cuff (defined as intertendinous blending of supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor) and whether cuff formation correlates with overhead forelimb use.
When evaluating animal model data on rotator cuff repair or pathology, remember that rats, rabbits, dogs, and sheep have no true rotator cuff — their tendons insert independently, so biomechanical and healing data from these models may not translate directly to the blended human cuff.
The integrated tendon architecture unique to hominoids means repair constructs must restore not just individual tendon footprints but the force-sharing continuity between tendons.