Background Many patients with rotator cuff tears suffer from nocturnal shoulder pain, resulting in sleep disturbance. Purpose To determine whether rotator cuff tear size correlated with sleep disturbance in patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Study Design Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Patients with a diagnosis of unilateral full-thickness rotator cuff t...

BACKGROUND Six classification systems have been proposed for describing rotator cuff tears designed to help understand their natural history and make treatment decisions. PURPOSE To assess the interobserver variation for these classification systems and identify the method with the best interobserver agreement. STUDY DESIGN Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. METHODS Six rotat...

Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common shoulder problems that usually require operative treatments. Therapeutic options used to repair ruptured tendons have consisted of suture, autografts, allografts, and synthetic prostheses. Although surgical treatments have improved dramatically up to now, shoulder pathology is still challenging to orthopedic surgery primarily because these injuries ...

The rotator cuff musculature imparts dynamic stability to the glenohumeral joint. In particular, the balance between the subscapularis anteriorly and the infraspinatus posteriorly, often referred to as the rotator cuff "force couple," is critical for concavity compression and concentric rotation of the humeral head. Restoration of this anterior-posterior force balance after chronic, massive rot...

BACKGROUND To date, no studies document the effect of anabolic steroids on rotator cuff tendons. STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory study. HYPOTHESIS Anabolic steroids enhance remodeling and improve the biomechanical properties of bioartificially engineered human supraspinatus tendons. METHODS Bioartificial tendons were treated with either nandrolone decanoate (nonload, steroid, n = 18), ...

The impingement syndrome is defined by the compression of the rotator cuff tendons against the coracoacromial arch. Several factors contribute to this condition and they are classified as structural or functional factors. The former are changes in the coracoacromial arch, proximal humerus, bursa and rotator cuff, and the latter are related to the mechanism of the upper limb by means of synchron...

Tendon transfer is one treatment option for patients with massive irreparable rotator cuff tears. Although surgical indications are not clearly defined, the traditional thought is that the ideal candidate is young and lacks significant glenohumeral arthritis. The proposed benefits of tendon transfers are pain relief and potential increase in strength. The biomechanical rationale for the procedu...

INTRODUCTION: Shoulder motion following rotator cuff repair is unavoidable and may results in changes in tension on the repair and changes in compression forces at the rotator cuff footprint. We set out to determine how tension within the rotator cuff tendons and motion of the shoulder affect the footprint compression forces of a rotator cuff repair using multiple repair techniques. Ultimately,...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether occult bony injuries or other characteristic MR abnormalities are frequent in patients suspected of having traumatic tears of the rotator cuff. SUBJECTS AND METHODS MR arthrography of the shoulder was performed in 24 consecutive patients with suspected traumatic tears of the rotator cuff. MR findings were analyzed with regard to abn...

Introduction Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries that cause significant pain and often require surgical intervention and physical therapy. Reestablishment of normal shoulder kinematics is often difficult and relies on balancing the active muscle forces and passive contact forces between the glenoid and the humeral head. Previous studies have determined that damage to the rotator cuf...