Traumatic rotator cuff tears with concomitant shoulder dislocation: tear characteristics and postsurgical outcomes

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Musculoskeletal Research

Background:

• Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair shows promise for traumatic tears with shoulder dislocation.
• This study compares outcomes of arthroscopic repair for traumatic rotator cuff tears with and without concomitant shoulder dislocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare injury characteristics and clinical outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in patients with traumatic tears and shoulder dislocation versus those with traumatic tears alone.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 226 patients with traumatic rotator cuff tears undergoing arthroscopic repair.
• Matched cohorts: Dislocation & Tear (DT) group (n=18) and Tear-only (T) group (n=36).
• Evaluated injury characteristics, postoperative strength, range of motion (ROM), patient-reported outcomes, complications, and revision rates.

Main Results:

• The DT cohort had significantly larger mean tear size and greater infraspinatus/subscapularis involvement.
• Postoperative external rotation (ER) strength was lower in the DT cohort.
• While preoperative ROM was lower in the DT cohort, postoperative ROM was similar between groups.

Conclusions:

• Traumatic rotator cuff tears with dislocation involve larger tears and specific tendon involvement.
• Arthroscopic repair yields lower postoperative ER strength but comparable patient-reported outcomes to tears without dislocation.