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Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery following shoulder trauma improves outcome despite additional pathologies and slow recovery

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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

To compare the outcome, recovery and surgical findings after shoulder arthroscopy of clinically defined traumatic and non-traumatic rotator cuff pathology in middle-aged patients.

Methods

Of the patients who underwent rotator cuff surgery, 37 patients who reported a preceding shoulder injury related to their shoulder symptoms (traumatic group) were compared to a control group of 58 patients without a preceding injury (non-traumatic group), matched by age, body mass index and comorbidities. Data included demographic details, patient history, surgical findings, the Oxford Shoulder Score questionnaires and overall satisfaction from surgery.

Results

The mean follow-up time was 33.2 ± 14.4 months. More concomitant pathologies were found in the study group. The proportion of large and massive supraspinatus tears was double in the study group (43%) compared to the control group (22%). The Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) improved significantly after surgery in both groups (p < 0.001) with no differences between groups in OSS and overall satisfaction from surgery. Patients in the study group felt recovered at an average time of 6.1 ± 4.6 months from surgery, while patients in the control group felt recovered at 4.2 ± 2.6 months (p = 0.02). Patients who were operated at the first 6 months after the injury had better improvement in OSS than patients who were operated later.

Conclusion

Surgical arthroscopy for rotator pathology of the shoulder in middle-aged patients improved pain and function regardless of a traumatic onset; however, earlier repair after trauma resulted in better outcome scores. Larger full-thickness tears and concomitant pathologies were more common after injury.

Study design

Level III.

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Funding

No external source of funding was used.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arthroscopy and Sports Injuries Unit, Hasharon Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, 7 Keren Kayemet St, 49372, Petach Tikva, Israel

    Barak Haviv & Shlomo Bronak

  2. Orthopedic Department, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Barak Haviv & Mustafa Yassin

  3. Orthopedic Department, Hasharon Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel

    Barak Haviv, Shlomo Bronak & Mustafa Yassin

  4. Orthopedic Department, Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel

    Tal Frenkel Rutenberg

Authors
  1. Barak Haviv
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  2. Tal Frenkel Rutenberg
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  3. Shlomo Bronak
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  4. Mustafa Yassin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barak Haviv.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was done in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.

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Haviv, B., Rutenberg, T.F., Bronak, S. et al. Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery following shoulder trauma improves outcome despite additional pathologies and slow recovery. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 26, 3804–3809 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-4969-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-4969-4

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