Figure 5:

Schematic diagram showing Rotator Bridge Analogy to Suspension Bridge. (a) light blue shaded region = rotator crescent, dark blue line = rotator cable, light blue line = main towers of suspension bridge running in direction of muscle belly, (b) When supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons are mechanically strained at the bone tendon interface, there is a high chance a rotator cuff tear will occur due to the plastic deformation of the tendon and rotator crescent. The rotator cable prevents this by redistributing the stress (red arrow) from the strained bone-tendon interface to the muscle belly of infraspinatus and supraspinatus. (c) If there is complete damage to either supraspinatus or infraspinatus tendons, then the rotator cable is rendered useless as there is no longer a redistribution of mechanical forces through the rotator cable into the respective muscle belly. The rotator cuff is now unstable as seen by the direction of forces (red arrow) in the torn infraspinatus.