scholarly journals Effect of Microcurrent Stimulation on Pain, Shoulder Function, and Grip Strength in Early Post-Operative Phase after Rotator Cuff Repair

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 491
Author(s):  
Donghyun Yi ◽  
Hwanyong Lim ◽  
Jongeun Yim

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of microcurrent stimulation on pain, shoulder function, and grip strength in patients with rotator cuff repair. Materials and Methods: This randomized single-blind controlled trial was conducted on inpatients of the rehabilitation department, and included 28 patients who underwent rotator cuff repair. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 14), treated with microcurrent stimulation, and the control group (n = 14), treated with false microcurrent stimulation. The microcurrent stimulation administered to the experimental group underwent general physical therapy and microcurrent stimulation three times a week for 4 weeks. Results: Changes in pain, range of motion in shoulder, simple shoulder test, and grip strength were assessed before and after the intervention. Both groups showed a significant decrease in pain and shoulder function (t = 27.412, 22.079, 19.079, and 18.561; p < 0.001), and grip strength showed a significant increase (t = −8.251 and −9.946; p < 0.001). The experimental group that underwent microcurrent stimulation exhibited a significant effect on pain, shoulder function, and grip strength compared with the control group that underwent false microcurrent stimulation (t = −2.17, −2.22, and 2.213; p = 0.039, 0.035, and 0.036). Conclusions: This study confirmed that microcurrent stimulation is effective for the treatment of rotator cuff repair patients.

Osteology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Alessandra Berton ◽  
Sergio De Salvatore ◽  
Vincenzo Candela ◽  
Gabriele Cortina ◽  
Daniela Lo Presti ◽  
...  

Rotator cuff tears are a frequent cause of shoulder pain that often require arthroscopic repair. After surgery an intense and well-studied rehabilitation protocol is needed to obtain the complete recovery of shoulder function. Fifty patients, who sustained arthroscopic rotator cuff repair for symptomatic, atraumatic and full-thickness supraspinatus tendon tear, were involved. According to our rehabilitation protocol, during the first four postoperative weeks, the arm was supported with an abduction sling pillow, and pendulum exercises, table slide and active elbow extension and flexion were conceded. Outcome measures (Oxford shoulder score (OSS), simple shoulder test (SST), patient-reported satisfaction), shoulder function (range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength), and MRI examination were evaluated. The mean OSS score and SST score increased from 16 to 30.2 and from 5.3 to 11.4, respectively. Patient-reported satisfaction was 96%. At 12 months, patients improved ROM and muscle strength. Postoperative passive anterior elevation was 176; external rotation averaged 47; internal rotation was 90. Postoperative muscle strength during anterior elevation was 8.3 ± 2.2 kg, internal rotation 6.8 ± 3 kg, external rotation 5.5 ± 2.3 kg. Five out of seven patients with recurrent tears evaluated their results as satisfactory. They reported improvements in terms of OSS and SST mean scores despite recurrent tears; therefore, they did not undergo revision surgery. The delayed postoperative physical therapy protocol was associated with improvements in the outcome measures and shoulder function compared to the preoperatory state and rotator cuff healing demonstrated by MRI.


Author(s):  
Junqi Huang ◽  
Jiajia Cheng ◽  
Shitian Tang ◽  
Bo Shi ◽  
Gang Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair has recently been popularized for treating tears. In a biomechanical trial, the Mason-Allen stitch improved the fixation quality of poorly vascularized tendons. The use of this technique involving the subscapularis tendon remains rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of Mason-Allen technique repaired subscapularis tendons. Methods A retrospective research of collected data from 98 patients with subscapularis tears who had undergone arthroscopic repair between May 2015 and December 2018. There were 75 males and 23 females. The mean age was 56.4 ± 9.6 years and the mean follow-up was 12.5 ± 4.0 months. The visual analog scale (VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and Constant-Murley score were used to analyze shoulder function. An MRI was performed to assess the integrity of the repair. Results Patients had significantly less pain and a better active range of motion compared with preoperative levels. VAS improved significantly from a preoperative mean of 3.42 to a postoperative mean of 1.91. ASES increased significantly from the preoperative mean of 43.6 to the postoperative mean of 74.5. Seven cases suffered from retears, which were confirmed by an MRI examination. Conclusion Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with the Mason-Allen method resulted in a decreased level of pain and satisfied function recovery.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 2019-2027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Sam Suh ◽  
Jun-Keun Lee ◽  
Ji-Chul Yoo ◽  
Sang-Hun Woo ◽  
Ga-Ram Kim ◽  
...  

Background: Failure of rotator cuff healing is a common complication despite the rapid development of surgical repair techniques for the torn rotator cuff. Purpose: To verify the effect of atelocollagen on tendon-to-bone healing in the rabbit supraspinatus tendon compared with conventional cuff repair. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A tear of the supraspinatus tendon was created and repaired in 46 New Zealand White rabbits. They were then randomly allocated into 2 groups (23 rabbits per group; 15 for histological and 8 for biomechanical test). In the experimental group, patch-type atelocollagen was implanted between bone and tendon during repair; in the control group, the torn tendon was repaired without atelocollagen. Each opposite shoulder served as a sham (tendon was exposed only). Histological evaluation was performed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Biomechanical tensile strength was tested 12 weeks after surgery. Results: Histological evaluation scores of the experimental group (4.0 ± 1.0) were significantly superior to those of the control group (7.7 ± 2.7) at 12 weeks ( P = .005). The load to failure was significantly higher in the experimental group (51.4 ± 3.9 N) than in the control group (36.4 ± 5.9 N) ( P = .001). Conclusion: Histological and biomechanical studies demonstrated better results in the experimental group using atelocollagen in a rabbit model of the supraspinatus tendon tear. Clinical Relevance: Atelocollagen patch could be used in the cuff repair site to enhance healing.


2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (14) ◽  
pp. 533-539
Author(s):  
Imre Sallai ◽  
Márton Weidl ◽  
Attila Szatmári ◽  
Imre Antal ◽  
Gábor Skaliczki

Abstract: Introduction: In the case of rotator cuff tears, the severity of the muscle atrophy and fatty degeneration has an effect on the success of the repair and on the functional outcome after surgery. Aim: The ability of regeneration reduces with ageing; therefore, the study examined the atrophy and the fatty degeneration after rotator cuff repair in patients over 65. Method: Eleven patients over 65 years of age were involved whose surgery was performed at the Department of Orthopaedics of Semmelweis University between 2012 and 2015. Their average age was 71.9 years and the average follow-up period was 39.9 months. Tear sizes were C1 in 3 cases, C2 in 3 cases, C3 in 4 cases, and C4 in 1 case. Each patient had magnetic resonance examination before and after the repair; the muscle atrophy and fatty degeneration were evaluated together with the type of the tear. Visual analogue scale and Constant score were used for the assessment of the pain and the shoulder function. Results: The average Constant score was 75 points. The occupancy ratio – referring to the severity of the atrophy – did not show significant improvement. The change in fatty degeneration and the atrophy were examined in different groups according to the size of the tears. In each group, the results showed progression. Conclusions: After rotator cuff repair in patients over 65, fatty degeneration and muscle atrophy also show progression. No significant relationship was found between the size of the tear and fatty degeneration or between the size of the tear and muscle atrophy. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(14): 533–539.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 706-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucheng Sun ◽  
Jae-Man Kwak ◽  
Erica Kholinne ◽  
Youlang Zhou ◽  
Jun Tan ◽  
...  

Background: Microfracture of the greater tuberosity has been proved effective for enhancing tendon-to-bone healing after rotator cuff repair. However, no standard diameter for the microfracture has been established. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study aimed to assess treatment with large- and small-diameter microfractures to enhance healing during rotator cuff repair surgery in a rabbit model of chronic rotator cuff tear. It was hypothesized that a small-diameter microfracture had advantages in terms of tendon-to-bone integration, bone-tendon interface maturity, microfracture healing, and biomechanical properties compared with a large-diameter microfracture. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Bilateral supraspinatus tenotomy from the greater tuberosity was performed on 21 New Zealand White rabbits. Bilateral supraspinatus repair was performed 6 weeks later. Small-diameter (0.5 mm) microfracture and large-diameter microfracture (1 mm) were performed on the left side and right side, respectively, in 14 rabbits as a study group, and simple repair without microfracture was performed in 7 rabbits as a control group. At 12 weeks later, 7 of 14 rabbits in the study group were sacrificed for micro–computed tomography evaluation and biomechanical testing. Another 6 rabbits were sacrificed for histological evaluation. In the control group, 3 of the 7 rabbits were sacrificed for histological evaluation and the remaining rabbits were sacrificed for biomechanical testing. Results: Significantly better bone-to-tendon integration was observed in the small-diameter microfracture group. Better histological formation and maturity of the bone-tendon interface corresponding to better biomechanical results (maximum load to failure and stiffness) were obtained on the small-diameter microfracture side compared with the large-diameter side and the control group. The large-diameter microfracture showed worse radiographic and histological properties for healing of the microfracture holes on the greater tuberosity. Additionally, the large-diameter microfracture showed inferior biomechanical properties but similar histological results compared with the control group. Conclusion: Small-diameter microfracture showed advantages with enhanced rotator cuff healing for biomechanical, histological, and radiographic outcomes compared with large-diameter microfracture, and large-diameter microfracture may worsen the rotator cuff healing. Clinical Relevance: This animal study suggested that a smaller diameter microfracture may be a better choice to enhance healing in clinical rotator cuff repair surgery in humans.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1918-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Avanzi ◽  
Luca dei Giudici ◽  
Antonio Capone ◽  
Gaia Cardoni ◽  
Gianluigi Lunardi ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 2000-2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Randelli ◽  
Carlo Alberto Stoppani ◽  
Carlo Zaolino ◽  
Alessandra Menon ◽  
Filippo Randelli ◽  
...  

Background: Rotator cuff tear is a common finding in patients with painful, poorly functioning shoulders. The surgical management of this disorder has improved greatly and can now be fully arthroscopic. Purpose: To evaluate clinical and radiological results of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using 2 different techniques: single-row anchor fixation versus transosseous hardware-free suture repair. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: Sixty-nine patients with rotator cuff tears were enrolled: 35 patients were operated with metal anchors and 34 with standardized transosseous repair. The patients were clinically evaluated before surgery, during the 28 days after surgery, and at least 1 year after the operation by the use of validated rating scores (Constant score, QuickDASH, and numerical rating scale [NRS]). Final follow-up was obtained at more than 3 years by a QuickDASH evaluation to detect any difference from the previous follow-up. During the follow-up, rotator cuff integrity was determined through magnetic resonance imaging and was classified according to the 5 Sugaya categories. Results: Patients operated with the transosseous technique had significantly less pain, especially from the 15th postoperative day: In the third week, the mean NRS value for the anchor group was 3.00 while that for transosseous group was 2.46 ( P = .02); in the fourth week, the values were 2.44 and 1.76, respectively ( P < .01). No differences in functional outcome were noted between the 2 groups at the final evaluation. In the evaluation of rotator cuff repair integrity, based on Sugaya magnetic resonance imaging classification, no significant difference was found between the 2 techniques in terms of retear rate ( P = .81). Conclusion: No significant differences were found between the 2 arthroscopic repair techniques in terms of functional and radiological results. However, postoperative pain decreased more quickly after the transosseous procedure, which therefore emerges as a possible improvement in the surgical repair of the rotator cuff. Registration: NCT01815177 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).


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