Return to Sport After Total Shoulder Arthroplasty and Hemiarthroplasty: A Systematic Review

One of the most frequent concerns of the increasing number of patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty is the possibility to resume sport after surgery. This systematic review determined the rate of return to sport after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA).

The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed to perform this systematic review. A systematic electronic search was performed using the PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. All the studies analyzing the rates of reverse shoulder arthroplasties were pooled; data were extracted and statistically analyzed. Only studies with at least 10 adult patients recruited were considered. All studies had to relate return to sport after TSA or HA.

A total of 76 studies were included for a total of 694 patients. The mean age and average follow-up were, respectively, 64.5 years (range: 24 to 92 y) and 4.5 years (range: 0.5 to 12 y). The mean rate of return to sport ranged from 49.3% to 96.4%. The mean time to resume sports was 8.1 months. The overall rate of return to sport after the procedures, according to a random effect model, was 83%. The mean level of sports at the time of the survey was worsened in 9.4% (±2.82%), improved or reported from good to excellent in 55.6% (±13.6%), and did not change in 40% (±1.4) of patients.

On the basis of current available data, return to sports after TSA and HA is possible and is highly frequent. The subjective level of practice does not change or improve in most patients. More studies and better designed trials are needed to enrich the evidence on specific sport recovery after the procedure.