What Influences Rehabilitation Outcomes after Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair? Investigation of Risk Factors for Prolonged Rehabilitation / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

ABSTRACT

Purpose：Good functional results have been reported for arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears (ARCR) by several orthopedic surgeons, but few studies have examined the factors affecting rehabilitation outcomes.This study was conducted to identify the factors associated with clinical outcome and the duration of rehabilitation after ARCR.Subjects and methods：This was a retrospective evaluation of 576 patients who underwent ARCR between January 2009 and December 2013 (Men：331, Women：245；mean age：63.9±12.3 years).Patients were divided into groups based on the duration of rehabilitation：less than or more than 6 months. Preoperative and postoperative evaluations, including outcome assessments and physical examination parameters, were reviewed：① type of insurance, ② duration of illness, ③ pain on motion, ④ Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score, ⑤ site of cuff tear, ⑥ thickness of cuff tear, ⑦ repair conditions, ⑧ range of motion (ROM) before surgery, ⑨ ROM at 3 months after surgery, ⑩ ROM at 6 months after surgery, ⑪ muscle strength before surgery, and ⑫ muscle strength at 6 months after surgery．Results：Factors influencing the duration of rehabilitation included traffic accident and workman's compensation insurance coverage, thickness of tear, range of motion of flexion and external rotation at 3 months after surgery, and strength on abduction at 6 months after surgery.Conclusions：When beginning rehabilitation, the type of insurance and thickness of tear must be considered；during rehabilitation, ROM at 3 months and strength at 6 months after surgery must be considered.