PURPOSE To examine the prognostic indicators associated with outcome following rotator cuff surgery. METHODS A retrospective evaluation of records on 1120 shoulders (1067 patients) with rotator cuff tear treated by surgery was performed. Preoperative, intra-operative and postoperative factors were analysed by Kendall's Tau-b correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Pos...

BACKGROUND The etiology of rotator cuff disease is age related, as documented by prevalence data. Despite conflicting results, growing evidence suggests that distinct scapular morphologies may accelerate the underlying degenerative process. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the predictive power of 5 commonly used radiologic parameters of scapular morphology to discriminate betwee...

Introduction Rotator cuff tendon tears are a common cause of pain and disability. An intact rotator cuff stabilizes the glenohumeral joint, allowing for concentric rotation of the humeral head on the glenoid. However, large tears involving the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons may disrupt the normal balance of forces, resulting in abnormal joint loading which can cause secondary damage to...

The etiology of rotator cuff tendinopathy is multi-factorial, and has been attributed to both extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms. Extrinsic factors that encroach upon the subacromial space and contribute to bursal side compression of the rotator cuff tendons include anatomical variants of the acromion, alterations in scapular or humeral kinematics, postural abnormalities, rotator cuff and scapu...

Rotator cuff disease can be related to a number of factors that include degenerative, vascular, traumatic and mechanical causes. The most common cause of rotator cuff pathology is primary degeneration of the rotator cuff tendons with wear and aging. External and internal impingement, microinstability of the shoulder, trauma, overuse associated with athletic and occupational activities, underlyi...

Rotator cuff tear is a common orthopedic condition. Metalloproteinases (MMP) and their inhibitors (TIMP) seem to play a role in the development of joint injuries and in the failure of tissue healing. However, the mechanisms of regulation of gene expression in tendons are still unknown. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and microRNAs regulation, are involved in the dynamic control o...

While the evolution of the bony skeleton of the shoulder girdle is well described, there is little information regarding the soft tissues, in particular of the rotator cuff. We dissected the shoulders of 23 different species and compared the anatomical features of the tendons of the rotator cuff. The alignment and orientation of the collagen fibres of some of the tendons were also examined hist...

The aim of this study was to examine interleukin-6 production and the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) in ruptured rotator cuff tendon. Specimens of ruptured rotator cuff tendons were analysed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Specimens of co-existing inflammatory subacromial synovi...

BACKGROUND Restoration of shoulder function is a primary goal when treating patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury. A concomitant rotator cuff tear may alter the treatment approach and prognosis for these individuals. The purpose of this study was to define the prevalence of rotator cuff tears in patients with traumatic brachial plexus injuries. METHODS This is a retrospective review ...

PURPOSE To assess minimum 2-year clinical outcomes after open revision biologic patch augmentation in patients with massive rotator cuff retears who had deficient rotator cuff tendons with healthy rotator cuff muscles. METHODS Patients with massive posterosuperior rotator cuff retears who underwent open revision rotator cuff repair with patch augmentation were identified from a surgical regis...