Background: After rotator cuff repair, early range of motion (ROM) exercise is necessary for prevention of contracture. On the other hand, rest and fixation is important for the healing of the repaired cuff. We reviewed the relationship between the cuff integrity and the transition of ROM after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).
Methods: We evaluated 80 shoulders (61 male, 19 female) on which we performed ARCR from July 2007 to April 2010. The range of the age was 32-77 (average : 61.4 years old). We evaluated the cuff integrity by MRI findings at 12 months postoperatively and the transition of ROM, active anterior elevation(aAE), passive anterior elevation(AE), passive external rotation(ER1), passive external rotation in 90 degrees of abduction(ER2) and passive internal rotation in 90 degrees of abduction(IR2), at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively.
Results: Postoperative MRI findings showed complete repair in 63 shoulders (79%), and retear in 17 shoulders (21%). At 3 months after ARCR, ROM of aAE, ER1 and IR2 in the retear group were wider than that in the complete repair group. At 6 and 12 months after ARCR, ROM of ER1 in the retear group was wider than that in the complete repair group.
Conclusions: We recommend the slow ROM recovery when the cuff integrity is considered.
