ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2011) — Shoulder motion after rotator cuff surgery remains significantly different when compared to the patient's opposite shoulder, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
In a study that updated prior findings, researchers used X-rays providing a 3-D view of motion of the arm bone in relation to the shoulder blade, to compared motion in the shoulders of 22 patients who had arthroscopic surgical repair of tendon tears and no symptoms in their other shoulders. An earlier study looked at 14 patients.
Researchers analyzed the motion of both shoulders at three, 12 and 24 months after surgery, looking at changes in shoulder motion and shoulder strength.
"Although patient satisfaction is generally very high after surgical repair of a torn rotator cuff, the data suggest that long-term shoulder function -- in particular, shoulder strength and dynamic joint stability -- may not be fully restored in every patient," says Michael Bey, Ph.D., director of Herrick Davis Motion Analysis Lab at Henry Ford Hospital.
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