ИСТИНА

The shoulder joint is one of the most mobile and flexible ones in the human body controlled and fixated mainly by the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus muscles as well as teres minor muscle, altogether referred to as the rotator cuff. It often shows lesions on the human skeleton, mostly on the attachments of the aforenamed muscles. Age, as well as the impact of trauma, and simple wear can play a role in their emergence. Symptoms can be as simple as a display of osteophytes in combination with pitting or porosity, or, depending on the severity of the lesion, the appearance of cysts beneath the joint surface. This common lesion has been researched, reviewing modern samples as well as several populations from Bronze Age Caucasus / Russia. In 85 individuals with preserved proximal humerus 56 individuals (65.9%) exhibited pathological changes, slightly more frequently on the right than on the left side. In these samples, the occurrence of RCD seems to be age- but not sex-dependent. The most often effected muscle was the subscapularis muscle (84.4% of the right side, 90.9% of the left side). Samples were examined using macroscopy as well as x-ray technology, histology and scanning electron microscope examination in certain ancient cases. By connecting modern and ancient cases a better understanding of the emergence and manifestation of RCD should be achieved.