Improvement in sleep quality after total shoulder arthroplasty

Objective: Poor sleep quality due to nocturnal pain is increasingly reported as a major symptom in advanced glenohumeral arthritis. The current study aimed to evaluate preoperative and postoperative sleep quality, shoulder pain, and function in patients who underwent total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Preoperative factors contributing to delayed improvements in sleep quality were examined.Methods: Patients scheduled for anatomic or reverse TSA due to glenohumeral arthritis were included. Patients completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) survey preoperatively, and at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year following surgery. A higher PSQI score (maximum 21) indicated greater sleep disturbance.Results: Seventy-four patients (34 males, 40 females), with a mean age of 65.8 years were prospectively enrolled. Eighty-four percent of patients reported preoperative PSQI scores indicative of sleep disturbance (6 or greater), with a mean of 10.1 ± 4.3. The PSQI score significantly improved to 7.7 at 6 weeks (P = .003), and to 6.1 at 3 months (P = .08). At 12 months, the PSQI was within normal limits (less than or equal to 5) with a mean score of 4.3. A normal PSQI score was achieved by 40.8%, at 6 weeks, 50% at 3 months, 53.7% at 6 months, and 73.9% at 1 year. The ASES score significantly improved from 32.6 ± 17.2 at baseline to 58.4 at 6 weeks (p < .001), 76.1 at 3 months (p < .001), and 85.3 at 12 months. Linear regression demonstrated that the ASES and PSQI scores were negatively associated with each other at each time point. Body mass index and female gender were associated with a delayed return to baseline sleep quality.Conclusion: Shoulder-related sleep disturbance significantly improved at 6 weeks following TSA, and normalized for most patients by 1 year post-operatively. Enhanced sleep quality after TSA was directly related to improved functional outcomes.