Pre-Operative Scapular Rehabilitation for Arthroscopic Repair of Traumatic Rotator Cuff Tear: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Luane Landim de Almeida, Adriano Fernando Mendes Júnior, José da Mota Neto and 5 others
PMID 35656411WHAT IT FOUND
Before arthroscopic traumatic rotator cuff repair, adding six weeks of scapular and core stabilization, proprioception and pain-control exercises to mobility work was associated with better abduction and lower WORC scores, but DASH and internal rotation did not differ.
Key findings
01Shoulder abduction was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group at three months and at one year.
02The experimental group had significantly lower total WORC disability scores than the control group after one year and significantly higher SF-12 physical component scores than the control group at three months.
03DASH scores did not differ significantly between groups or timeframes, and internal rotation did not differ significantly between groups or post-operative reassessment points.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot study with no sample-size calculation, and only 17 participants were analysed. Participants were recruited by convenience from patients already waiting for surgery. The groups were not equivalent at baseline: 66.7% of the control group and 12.5% of the experimental group had subscapular lesions. The post-operative evaluator was not blinded. Adherence to the home exercises was uncertain. One experimental-group patient did not have surgical repair, and follow-up losses occurred.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the positive abduction and WORC findings as proof that scapular exercises alone caused the effect. The experimental group also received core stabilization, proprioception, pain-control and mobility exercises, both groups had the same postoperative rehabilitation, and this pilot analysed only 17 participants.