The purpose of this study is to evaluate the availability of the ten seconds test of the shoulder. We present the results of arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff tears in 82 patients, (54 men and 28 women) totaling in 82 shoulders. The average age of the patients at the time of the operation was 60.2 years old (range, 30-78 years). All of the patients were observed for at least one year following the operation (average, 19.9 months; range, 6-48 months). The shoulders were evaluated with the rating scale of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (JOA score). Eleven tears were small (less than one centimeter in length), twenty nine were medium (one to three centimeters), twenty three were large (more than three to five centimeters), and nineteen were massive (more than five centimeters). An average of 2.4 (range, 1 to 4) suture anchors were used in repair. The active range of motion improved significantly after the procedure. The average total JOA score improved from 68.8 to 90.8 points. The average ten seconds test improved from 11.6 to 15.2 times. Arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff tear produced satisfactory results. The arthroscopic method offers several advantages including small incisions, the lack of need for detachment of the deltoid, and less-tissue dissection. The ten seconds test and JOA score had recovered at one year after the operation. The ten seconds test of the shoulder is available for evaluating the shoulder function.
