Patient-Reported and Objectively Measured Function Before and After Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty.

The study analyzed 14 participants, although 15 were recruited, and one person did not complete the 1-year testing because of transportation issues. All participants came from the practice of a single surgeon and followed the same post-operative rehabilitation protocol, so the study cannot separate the effect of the surgery from the rehabilitation program. The study used only before-and-after comparisons in the same participants, so changes cannot be compared with people who did not have surgery. Testing was done before surgery, at 2 months, and at 1 year, leaving a long gap during which function may have changed. Activity monitors record movement of arm segments but do not measure range of motion, movement plane, or the specific tasks performed. Self-report measures depend on patient recall and bias, and the SF-36 physical score can be affected by conditions other than shoulder disease.

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Do not conclude that reverse shoulder arthroplasty alone increases real-world arm use. Pain and DASH scores improved, but objectively measured forearm and arm activity at 1 year were not significantly greater than before surgery, and participants also received the same post-operative rehabilitation protocol.