Watson identified risk factors associated with poor outcome following surgical repair of a torn rotator cuff. These can help identify patients who should be more carefully evaluated prior to surgery. The author is from Guy’s Hospital in London.
Risk factors:
(1) age > 60 years
(2) large defect
(3) poor deltoid muscle strength
(4) excision of both halves of the divided coraco-acromial ligament
(5) splinting the arm postoperatively in abduction
A patient with a history of many steroid injections should be screened carefully for deltoid muscle strength and softening of the rotator cuff ligaments.
Exercises to increase the deltoid muscle strength before and after surgery can reduce the risk of a poor outcome after surgery.
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