Shoulder Strength Ratio Is Associated With Joint Mechanics And Clinical Outcome After Rotator Cuff Repair

INTRODUCTION: Rotator cuff tears are a common condition, affecting approximately 50% of the population over the age of 60 [1]. The etiology of rotator cuff tears is not well understood, but it is widely believed that abnormal glenohumeral joint (GHJ) motion leads to subacromial impingement and the development of rotator cuff tears [2]. The treatment of rotator cuff tears is based implicitly on the belief that restoring normal GHJ motion is necessary to obtain a satisfactory clinical outcome (i.e., strength, subjective assessment of function). However, the extent to which GHJ motion and clinical outcomes – specifically, shoulder strength and subjective assessments of pain/function – are related after rotator cuff repair is not well understood. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between measures of shoulder strength, in-vivo GHJ motion, and subjective clinical outcome. We hypothesized that shoulder strength would be associated with GHJ motion and clinical outcome.