Background: Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries in baseball players. For some tears, the symptoms can be relieved through physical therapy or debridement without rotator cuff repair. Purpose: To assess whether partial-thickness rotator cuff tear by itself causes shoulder pain and muscle weakness in baseball players. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We studied 87 university baseball players (age, 19.5 ± 0.8 years; baseball career, 11.5 ± 1.6 years). All data were obtained during a full-participation annual medical check in 1 team. Rotator cuff tendons were examined ultrasonographically and allocated to 4 groups: (1) no tear, (2) supraspinatus tendon tear, (3) infraspinatus tendon tear, and (4) both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendon tears. Current shoulder pain and shoulder muscle strength (dominant/nondominant) in abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation were compared by using chi-square and t tests. All players could play baseball with or without shoulder pain in this study. Results: Of the 87 players, 41 (47%) had articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears diagnosed on ultrasonography; the remaining 46 athletes were tear-free. Of the 41 affected patients, 19 had tears in the supraspinatus, 13 in the infraspinatus, and 9 in both the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons. Tear depth (mean ± SD) was 4.6 ± 2.3 mm in the supraspinatus and 6.2 ± 3.6 mm in the infraspinatus. Neither the rate of shoulder pain nor muscle strength differed significantly among the 4 groups ( P = .96 and P = .15-.70, respectively). Conclusion: Articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tear—by itself—did not cause shoulder pain and muscle weakness in university baseball players. Most so-called articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears may not be pathologic tendon tears.

Low-profile fixation devices for medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) were developed in order to avoid skin irritation and additional invasion. However, the low-profile system is associated with additional risks. We report three cases of locking pin back out with the low-profile locking plate system for medial OWHTO.

Objectives: Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries in baseball players. In some severe tears (i.e. through more than 50% of the cuff’s thickness), conservative treatment does not work well, and surgical treatment is sometimes chosen in an effort to ensure return to play. In contrast, some partial thickness rotator cuff tears do not cause shoulder symptoms, even during throwing motion. The objective of this study was to assess whether partial thickness rotator cuff tears cause shoulder pain and muscle weakness in baseball players. Methods: We studied 87 university baseball players (age: 19.5±0.8 years; baseball career: 11.5±1.6 years). Rotator cuff tendons were ultrasonographically examined (Fig 1), then divided into 4 groups; (1) no tear, (2) supraspinatus tendon tear, (3) infraspinatus tendon tear, (4) both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons tear. Current shoulder pain and shoulder muscle strength (Dominant/Non-dominant) in abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation were compared using Chi square test and t-test. Results: Forty-one (47%) players were diagnosed with articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears using ultrasonography. Nineteen tears were in the supraspinatus, 13 in the infraspinatus, and 9 in both the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus. Tear depth was 4.6±2.3 mm in the supraspinatus and 6.2±3.6 mm in the infraspinatus. There was no significant difference in rate of shoulder pain (p=0.96) and muscle strength among four groups (p=0.15 - 0.70). Conclusion: In this study, articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears did not cause shoulder pain and muscle weakness in university baseball players. Most of articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears are tears of the superior capsule but not the rotator cuff tendons, because the superior capsule is attached in the articular half of the greater tuberosity. Therefore, most so-called articular-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears may not be pathological tendon tear.

No abstract