Initially, patients can take over-the-counter pain medications and anti-inflammatory medications, like Aleve, Advil or Tylenol. If the patient has no relief, they should see a physician who may give them a Medrol Dosepak or cortisone injection in the rotator cuff. But if a patient has severe pain, these patients may need to be investigated further to find the cause of the pain, and if they are found to have a rotator cuff tear, they may need to undergo surgical repair of the rotator cuff.