Postoperative Rehabilitation Protocol Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Prospective Single-Arm Pragmatic Interventional Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Rotator cuff tear is the most common cause of shoulder pain. If nonsurgical treatment fails, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) is recommended. Since the standards for rehabilitation after ARCR are not clear, various rehabilitation methods have been suggested. This study intends to investigate the effect on the recovery phase of ARCR patients through a postoperative rehabilitation protocol (PRP) that considers the healing process and rehabilitation trend. Materials and Methods: This single-arm, pragmatic intervention study was conducted on 30 patients, two weeks postoperative day (POD) after ARCR. ARCR patients received intervention for six weeks from POD two-week, and pain intensity and shoulder function were evaluated at two-week intervals until POD 12-week, and range of motion (ROM) was evaluated at POD four-week and eight-week. Results: In this study, all variables improved over time (p < 0.05). As a result of the comparison between time points, a significant improvement was found in shoulder function at POD 6-week. In addition, the effect size had a large effect on ROM (flexion, scaption flexion, abduction, and external rotation) and shoulder function. Conclusions: Management through the PRP based on scientific evidence in the strategy of postoperative rehabilitation of patients with ARCR is effective for pain intensity, ROM, and shoulder function.

The Efficacy of Pain Neuroscience Education on Active Rehabilitation Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A CONSORT-Compliant Prospective Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial

“…Therefore, we investigated the beneficial effects of additional PNE on pain intensity, pain cognition, range of motion, shoulder function, and treatment satisfaction during postoperative rehabilitation following ARCR. Our results were generally better than those of a previous study [ 23 , 24 , 25 ] that investigated the effect of PTRP alone. Additionally, a significant interaction between time and group was found in the avoidance subscale of pain cognition (F = 5.650, = 0.150).…”

“…The rehabilitation protocol in Table 1 was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative rehabilitation in patients [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. The rehabilitation protocol was a physical therapy intervention that consisted of physical agents, manual therapy, and exercise.…”