Rehabilitation following rotator cuff repair: A multi-centre pilot & feasibility randomised controlled trial (RaCeR).
Chris Littlewood, Marcus Bateman, Stephanie Butler-Walley and 11 others
PMID 33305619WHAT IT FOUND
Early sling removal was feasible and resulted in significantly more time out of the sling than standard care.
However, clinical outcomes showed no significant difference between groups, and the study was underpowered to confirm effectiveness.
Key findings
01Participants in the early patient-directed group spent significantly more time out of the sling than those in the standard group.
02There was no statistically significant difference in shoulder pain and disability scores between the two groups at 6 or 12 weeks.
03Recruitment and retention were feasible, but a high number of withdrawals occurred because participants did not undergo surgery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a pilot study, so it was not powered to detect differences in clinical outcomes. 20 of 73 recruited participants withdrew before surgery, reducing the sample size and potentially introducing bias. Follow-up rates for the primary outcome measures were below the pre-specified success threshold when including withdrawals. The study relied on self-reported data for time out of the sling and adherence.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that early sling removal is clinically superior to standard care. The study showed patients in the early group did move more, but this did not translate into statistically significant improvements in pain or function at 12 weeks.