Overall, golf may be considered a rather benign activity, if overuse can be avoided. If not, golf can result in serious, chronic musculoskeletal problems.

Background and purpose Indications for acromioplasty are based on clinical symptoms and are generally supported by typical changes in acromial morphology on standard radiographs. We evaluated 5 commonly used radiographic parameters of acromial morphology and assessed the association between different radiographic characteristics on the one hand and subacromial impingement or rotator cuff tears on the other.Patients and methods We measured acromial type (Bigliani), acromial slope (AS), acromial tilt (AT), lateral acromial angle (LAA), and acromion index (AI) on standard radiographs from 50 patients with full-thickness supraspinatus tendon tears, 50 patients with subacromial impingement, and 50 controls without subacromial pathology.Results The acromial type according to Bigliani was not associated with any particular cuff lesion. A statistically significant difference between controls and impingement patients was found for AS. AT of controls was significantly smaller than that of impingement patients and cuff-tear patients. LAA of cuff-tear patients differed significantly from that of controls and impingement patients, but LAA of controls was not significantly different from that of impingement patients. Differences between impingement patients and cuff-tear patients were also significant. AI of controls was significantly lower than of impingement patients and of cuff-tear patients. A good correlation was found between acromial type and AS.Interpretation A low lateral acromial angle and a large lateral extension of the acromion were associated with a higher prevalence of impingement and rotator cuff tears. An extremely hooked anterior acromion with a slope of more than 43° and an LAA of less than 70° only occurred in patients with rotator cuff tears.

The clinical and structural results of arthroscopic repairs of isolated supraspinatus tears are equal to those reported following open repair. Fatty infiltration and muscle atrophy cannot be reversed by successful arthroscopic repair. Higher degrees of muscular atrophy and fatty infiltration preoperatively are associated with recurrence of the tear as well as progression of fatty infiltration and muscular atrophy and an inferior clinical result.

We describe 14 patients who underwent transfer of latissimus dorsi using a new technique through a single-incision. Their mean age was 61 years (47 to 76) and the mean follow-up was 32 months (19 to 42).The mean Constant score improved from 46.5 to 74.6 points. The mean active flexion increased from 119˚ to 170˚, mean abduction from 118˚ to 169˚ and mean external rotation from 19˚ to 33˚. The Hornblower sign remained positive in three patients (23%) as did the external rotation lag sign also in three patients (23%). No patient had a positive drop-arm sign at follow-up. No significant difference was noted between the mean pre-and postoperative acromiohumeral distance as seen on radiographs. An increased grade of osteoarthritis was found in three patients (23%). Electromyographic analysis showed activity of the transferred muscle in all patients.

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