The Mature Athlete's Shoulder

The mature athlete's shoulder remains a challenging clinical condition to manage. A normal natural history of the shoulder includes stiffness, rotator cuff tears, and osteoarthritis, all of which can become increasingly more symptomatic as an athlete ages.

PubMed (1978-2013).

Clinical review.

Level 3-4.

Rotator cuff pathology increases with age and activity level. Partial tears rarely heal, and debridement of significant partial tears results in poorer outcomes than those of repair. Repair of partial-thickness tears can be accomplished with completion and subsequent repair or in situ repair. The most successful result for treatment of osteoarthritis in the shoulder remains total shoulder arthroplasty, with more than 80% survival at 20 years and high rates of return to sport. Caution should be taken in patients younger than 60 years, as they show much worse results with this treatment. Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder can be successfully treated with nonoperative management in 90% of cases.

Mature athletes tend to have rotator cuff pathology, osteoarthritis, and stiffness, which may limit their participation in athletic events. Age is a significant consideration, even within the "mature athlete" population, as patients younger than 50 years should be approached differently than those older than 65 years with regard to treatment regimens and postoperative restriction.