Impact of Sports Activity on Medium-Term Clinical and Radiological Outcome after Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty in Cuff Deficient Arthropathy; An Institutional Register-Based Analysis

Abstract

There is a lack of consensus on what physicians can recommend and what patients can expect concerning sports activity after reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). The purpose of this retrospective register-based observational study was to investigate the association between participation in sports or physical activity involving the upper extremity and 5-year clinical and radiological outcomes for primary RSA patients. We screened the institutional arthroplasty registry for patients reporting the type and level of sports postoperatively after primary, unilateral RSA due to rotator cuff deficiency. One hundred thirty-eight patients with clinical and radiological outcomes documented at a minimum 5-year follow-up were divided into three groups comprising those who participated regularly in: sports mainly involving the upper extremity (sports upper extremities, SUE, n = 49), sports mainly involving the lower extremities (sports lower extremities, SLE, n = 21), and those who did not participate in sports at all (no sports, NS, n = 68). The participants had a mean age of 72 years (standard deviation (SD) 8) and were overall predominantly female patients (62%). Primary clinical outcomes included the Constant Score (CS) and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). Secondary radiographs were analyzed for radiolucent lines (RLL), signs of glenoid or humeral prosthesis loosening, bone resorption, bone formation, and scapular notching. A total number of 8 senior surgeons were involved in treatment of patients, and two types of prosthesis were used. The SUE group had non-significantly higher mean scores for CS (75 points) and SPADI (88 points) compared to SLE (71 and 78 points, respectively) and NS patients (66 and 78 points, respectively) (p ≥ 0.286). The incidence of RLL around the humeral diaphysis was higher in NS compared to SUE patients (32% versus 12%, respectively) (p = 0.025); all other radiological parameters were similar between the groups. There were no cases of loosening in the SUE group that led to revision surgery. Patients engaging in sports activities involving the upper extremity show similarly good functional scores 5 years post-RSA as the other groups, without additional signs of implant loosening as a result of increased shoulder use.

Return-to-Golf Rate After Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Ten studies 1 , 3 - 6 , 9 , 11 , 16 , 18 , 19 met the study inclusion criteria; all were either level 3 or 4 evidence ( Table 1 ). The years of publication ranged from 1998 to 2021.…”

“…Multiple studies on RSA reported postoperative protocols not specific to golf. 3 , 4 , 18 All of these studies limited external rotation in the first month after surgery, and the timeline for return to sport or unrestricted motion varied from 3 weeks to 4 months. Tangtiphaiboontana et al 18 allowed full activity at 4 months but recommended avoiding activities involving forceful impact.…”

Influence of sportive activity on functional and radiographic outcomes following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: a comparative study

“…Endell et al [ 13 ] compared the impact of sportive activity on radiographic outcomes for three RTSA patient groups (sports mainly involving upper extremity, sports mainly involving lower extremity and no sports at all). At a similar follow-up period the present study demonstrated significantly better clinical results in athletic patients following RTSA without a higher rate of radiographic implant loosening and scapular notching when compared to non-athletic patients at a mean follow-up of 47 months.…”

“…In previous work, the positive correlation of shoulder strength with sportive activity level and daily function has already been highlighted [ 28 ]. Endell et al [ 13 ] also reported higher but not statistically relevant scores for patients performing sports mainly involving upper extremity without additional signs of implant using due to increased shoulder use.…”

“…We observed similar rates of scapular notching when comparing the athletic and non-athletic group (52.9% and 44.9%, respectively). Endell et al [ 13 ] showed a high scapular notching rate in the non-sportive group (51.0%) without reaching statistical difference when compared to sportive groups (upper extremity sports: 35% and lower extremity sports: 29%, respectively).…”