Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is being performed by an increasing number of orthopaedic surgeons. The principles, techniques, and instrumentation have evolved to the extent that all patterns and sizes of rotator cuff tear, including massive tears, can now be repaired arthroscopically. Achieving a biomechanically stable construct is critical to biologic healing. The ideal repair construct mus...

Surgical management of massive rotator cuff tears remains challenging, with failure rates ranging from 20% to 90%. Multiple different arthroscopic and open techniques have been described, but there is no current gold standard. Failure after rotator cuff repair is typically multifactorial; however, failure of tendon-footprint healing is often implicated. Patch augmentation has been described as ...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the influence of rotator cuff pathology on sleep. The purpose of this study was to determine which patient-reported factors correlate with sleep disturbance in patients with rotator cuff disease. METHODS A nonrandomized, cross-sectional cohort study was performed to evaluate the effects of rotator cuff disease on sleep quality. Data collected at time zero (bef...

BACKGROUND Very little comparative information is available regarding the demographic and morphological characteristics of asymptomatic and symptomatic rotator cuff tears. This information is important to provide insight into the natural history of rotator cuff disease and to identify which factors may be important in the development of pain. The purpose of the present study was to compare the ...

BACKGROUND After reinsertion on the humerus, the rotator cuff has limited ability to heal. Growth factor augmentation has been proposed to enhance healing in such procedure. PURPOSE This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of growth factor augmentation during rotator cuff repair. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS Eighty-eight patient...

BACKGROUND Several tests for making the diagnosis of rotator cuff disease have been described, but their utility for diagnosing bursitis alone, partial-thickness rotator cuff tears, and full-thickness rotator cuff tears has not been studied. The hypothesis of this study was that the degree of severity of rotator cuff disease affects the diagnostic values of the commonly used clinical tests. M...

Question: What is the diagnostic accuracy of the physical examination in predicting arthroscopy findings in patients with suspected rotator cuff tear? Design: Cross-sectional study comparing the results of the clinical examination with presence of partial or complete rotator cuff tear on arthroscopy. Setting: Australian orthopaedic surgeon’s practice. Patients: Patients (400) with shoulder inju...

CONTEXT Despite the significant attention directed toward optimizing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, there has been less focus on rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair surgery. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of different rehabilitation protocols on clinical outcomes by comparing early versus late mobilization approaches and continuous passive mobilization (CPM) versus manual therapy a...

Massive rotator cuff tears are not necessarily synonymous with irreparable tears. Technical and biological challenges to a successful repair include inelastic poorquality tendon tissue, scarring, muscle atrophy, and fatty infiltration. Fatty infiltration of the involved rotator cuff muscles has been identified as an important negative prognostic factor for the outcome after repair of massive ro...

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...