Rotator cuff repair depends on both the fixation strength of the chosen repair construct and the local healing response of the repaired tissue. Among a growing discussion surrounding the superiority of one surgical technique over another, the surgeon's ability to complete a rotator cuff repair with technical acuity in a timely manner remains paramount. Double-row repairs as well as rip-stop con...

BACKGROUND No published reports have studied the epidemiology and magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder in professional football players. PURPOSE To determine a single professional football team's incidence, treatment, and magnetic resonance imaging appearance of players sustaining rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder. STUDY DESIGN Ca...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Extracellular matrix remodeling is altered in rotator cuff tears, partly due to altered expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors. It is unclear whether this altered expression can be traced as changes in plasma protein levels. We measured the plasma levels of MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) in patients with rotator cuff tears and relate...

Most arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs utilize suture passing devices placed through arthroscopic cannulas. These devices are limited by the size of the passing device where the suture is passed through the tendon. An alternative technique has been used in the senior author's practice for the past ten years, where sutures are placed through the rotator cuff tendon using percutaneous passing dev...

BACKGROUND Normative data are essential to the evaluation of shoulder function. The purposes of this study were to establish a normative database of isometric shoulder strength measured in asymptomatic individuals verified to have intact rotator cuffs and to determine the effect of asymptomatic rotator cuff tears on shoulder strength. METHODS Two hundred and thirty-seven volunteers with no sh...

BACKGROUND Increased age, larger tear size, and more advanced fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff musculature have been correlated with poorer healing rates after rotator cuff repair. Platelets are an endogenous source of growth factors present during rotator cuff healing. HYPOTHESIS Augmentation of rotator cuff repairs with platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM) may improve the biology of rot...

BACKGROUND Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered to be a valuable tool for the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears in patients with severe glenohumeral osteoarthritis who are indicated for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). We determined the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of MRI in diagnosing rotator cuff tears in such patients. METHODS MRI reports of 100 patient...

The goal of rotator cuff repairs is to achieve high initial fixation strength, minimize gap formation, maintain mechanical stability under cyclic loading, and optimize the biology of the tendon-bone interface until the cuff heals biologically to the bone. We have seen an evolution in our approaches to fixing rotator cuff tears from open to mini-open to all arthroscopic. In our arthroscopic tech...

This is the second of a two-part article describing the various tests that have been used to examine the shoulder to find and treat problems in that area. Part I of this article (January/February 2003, pages 154-160) focused on tests used to examine rotator cuff abnormalities. This article attempts to clarify the tests of laxity, instability, and the superior labral anterior and posterior (SLAP...