Pain in the shoulder can linger long after a rotator cuff tear heals on paper. Even after surgery, strength may not return. Movement may stay limited. For many patients, the real problem is not the tear itself, but the scar that replaces what was lost. Now, new research offers a deeper look into why that scar forms. Scientists from Xiangya Hospital at Central South University used advanced tools to map how tendon cells behave after injury. Their findings show that healing does not simply go wrong. Instead, it follows a complex path where multiple cell types actively build a scar. “We were struck by how tendon cells that should support healing instead became drivers of fibrosis,” said Prof. Jianzhong Hu. “This helps explain why scarring persists even long after inflammation subsides.” Scar formation after human rotator cuff injury. a MRI imaging of normal and different stages (acute, subacute, and chronic) of human RCT. (CREDIT: Bone Research) Why Rotator Cuff Tears Heal Poorly Rotator cuff injuries are among the most common shoulder problems. They often bring …