BACKGROUND Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair provides satisfactory results; however, there is still a high rate of re-tear. The objective of this study was to present a surface-holding technique that we recently developed for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in detail and to evaluate the clinical outcome as well as cuff repair integrity with this new method. MATERIALS AND METHODS A consecutive...

OBJECTIVE. The management of patients with signs and symptoms referable to the rotator cuff depends on the presence of cuff injury and the size of the tear. Treatment options include conservative nonsurgical management for patients with an intact or partially tom cuff, arthroscopic decompression of the coracoacromlal space for those not responding to nonsurgical management, and a range of surgi...

Question: What is the diagnostic accuracy of the physical examination in predicting arthroscopy findings in patients with suspected rotator cuff tear? Design: Cross-sectional study comparing the results of the clinical examination with presence of partial or complete rotator cuff tear on arthroscopy. Setting: Australian orthopaedic surgeon’s practice. Patients: Patients (400) with shoulder inju...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Why some full-thickness rotator cuff tears are symptomatic and others are asymptomatic is not understood. By comparing MRI findings in symptomatic and asymptomatic tears, we wanted to identify any tear characteristics that differed between groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS 50 subjects with asymptomatic and 50 subjects with symptomatic full-thickness tears were examined by MR...

BACKGROUND Diagnostic ultrasound examination has become the most commonly used investigation in Australia for diagnosing rotator cuff tears. The authors felt that the results of such investigations were often inaccurate in their clinical practices. METHODS The diagnostic ultrasound findings in 336 cases were compared to arthrography, and in 225 cases findings at surgery. RESULTS A very poor...

Intramuscular, full-thickness rotator cuff tears are uncommon and present a challenging clinical scenario for repair because traditional suture anchor or transosseous repair techniques are less feasible. The goal of repair is to achieve a tension-free reduction of both ends of the muscle to allow for adequate healing over time. Intramuscular tears of the infraspinatus specifically have rarely b...

BACKGROUND Although a loss of rotator cuff integrity leads to the superior migration of the humeral head, the parameters that characterize the anterolateral migration of the humeral head have not been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the translation of the humeral head scale (T-scale) and clinical outcomes of rotator cuff repair, as well as the c...

Purpose Rotator cuff tears and cervical spondylotic amyotrophy (CSA) are often confused as the main symptom in those with difficulty in shoulder elevation. Empty and full can tests are frequently used for the clinical diagnosis of rotator cuff tears. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the empty and full can test results can help differentiate rotator cuff tears from CSA. ...

BACKGROUND Recent reports on concurrent arthroscopic rotator cuff and type II superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) repair have raised concerns over postoperative stiffness and patient satisfaction. However, it is unclear if the observed stiffness relates to the repair of degenerative SLAP tears in older adults, the surgical technique, the postoperative rehabilitation, or to a combination o...

HYPOTHESIS We hypothesized that the prevalence of rotator cuff tears would be higher among individuals with poor posture, regardless of the presence of symptoms. METHODS The study initially comprised 525 residents of a mountain village who participated in an annual health check. Participants completed a background questionnaire, and physical examinations were performed to evaluate shoulder fu...