Rotator cuff tears are one of the three most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders, with the supraspinatus tendon as the most common lesion site. It may lead to chronic shoulder pain, weakness and limited joint motion, and eventually to secondary degeneration of the shoulder. As traditional biomechanical experiments are limited by measurement techniques and ethical issues, it is almost impossible to clarify the stress distributions at the rotator cuff under physiological and pathological conditions. Recently, advances in computer science, software development and image processing have rapidly improved finite element models of shoulder joint which promote the researches into pathogenesis of rotator cuff tears and their surgical techniques, making finite element analysis an indispensable means in the biomechanic research of rotator cuff. This paper reviews the recent literature available in China and abroad to expound on the element models of shoulder joint applied in the researches into pathogenesis and surgery of rotator cuff tear.