Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery
Original ArticleReturn to Sports After in Situ Arthroscopic Repair of Partial Rotator Cuff Tears
Section snippets
Methods
Athletes who underwent arthroscopic repair of partial articular- or bursal-sided rotator cuff tears (PARCTs or PBRCTs) between December 2006 and December 2015 were retrospectively identified.
The inclusion criteria were (1) patients between 20 and 60 years old, (2) with an unsuccessful minimum 3-month course of conservative treatment consisting of activity modification, anti-inflammatory medication, and a physical therapy, and (3) tears of >50% of the tendon thickness on the bursal or articular
Results
From the 87 consecutive arthroscopic partial repairs performed in patients between 20 and 60 years old who practiced sports during the study period, 17 patients were excluded. Nine patients who underwent concomitant biceps procedures (7 tenodesis and 2 tenotomies) and 3 patients who underwent subscapularis repair were excluded. Four patients did not participate in follow-up for 2 years, and 1 patient died of an unrelated disease. The final evaluation thus was carried out in 70 patients.
The mean
Discussion
The main findings of this study were that arthroscopic in situ repair of PTRCTs resulted in excellent functional outcomes, with most patients returning to sport and at the same level they had before injury. The results were equally favorable in articular- and bursal-sided tears.
We prefer in situ repair. We preserve as much of the healthy tendon as possible and repair only the avulsed flap into the footprint. The advantages of this technique are that it restores anatomically the rotator cuff
Conclusions
In patients with PTRCTs, arthroscopic in situ repair resulted in excellent functional outcomes, with most of the patients returning to sport and at the same level they had before injury. The results were equally favorable in articular and bursal tears.
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All-inside technique versus in situ transtendon repair for Ellman Ⅲ partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion
2023, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow SurgeryPilots After Shoulder Surgery and Rehabilitation in a Dedicated Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Unit of a Major Airline Returned to Work Earlier When Compared to Standard Rehabilitation by External Providers
2022, Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and RehabilitationCitation Excerpt :Antoni et al.12 investigated return to recreational sports in patients with a mean age of 57 years after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and reported a mean return to sports at 6 months with a return to sports (RTS) rate of 88%. Rossi et al.13 evaluated RTS in patients with in situ repair of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears and reported similar RTS rates (87%) and RTS time intervals (5.6 months). 13 In a recent meta-analysis Altintas et al.14 investigated RTS in recreational and competitive athletes who had rotator cuff surgery for both partial- and full-thickness tears of all ages and sports.
Rehabilitation and Return to Play of the Athlete after an Upper Extremity Injury
2022, Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and RehabilitationCitation Excerpt :Athletes will progress through the rehabilitation protocol; further ROM and muscular strengthening will progress between 6 to 12 weeks after surgery and progression to sport specific activities will range from 3 to 6 months.30,31,33,35,43-46 Return to play is permitted after the athlete regains full pain-free shoulder ROM, preinjury shoulder strength38,39,43 and clinical/sport-specific testing.30 Percentage of players returning to play after rotator cuff repair varies based on the level of athlete, severity of injury, and the sport-specific activity and demand.
Excellent Clinical Outcomes and Rates of Return to Play After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair for Traumatic Tears in Athletes Aged 30 Years or Less
2021, Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and RehabilitationCitation Excerpt :However, subsequent subgroup analysis by sport showed that the results were skewed because high rates of RTP were reported in mostly noncontact sports such as baseball, tennis, and golf, which accounted for nearly 60% of included patients. Similarly, a recent study by Rossi et al.36 found that nearly 90% of athletes managed to successfully RTP at less than 6 months after ARCR, with significantly improved patient-reported pain and functional scores; however, no subgroup analysis was performed between sports. Additionally, nearly 80% of young athletes managed to RTP in a systematic review published by Reuter et al.,37 but the mean time to RTP was more than 8 months.
Editorial Commentary: Arthroscopic Repair of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: What Do We Know So Far and Where Should We Put the Focus of Our Future Research?
2021, Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related SurgeryDouble Row–Equivalent PASTA Repair Technique
2019, Arthroscopy Techniques
The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this article. Full ICMJE author disclosure forms are available for this article online, as supplementary material.
This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires.