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Updated: Jul 15, 2025
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Published on: July 5, 2011
Rotator cuff repair and return to sports practice in athletes older than 35 years: Is it possible? A systematic
Guilherme Guelfi Noffs1, Lauro Augusto Veloso Costa2
1Department of Orthopedics, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627/701, São Paulo, SP, 05652-900, Brazil.
Introduction:
Return to sport is an important measure of treatment success for athletes undergoing rotator cuff repair, which can be challenging in older athletes. The purpose of the present study was to systematically review and summarize the literature regarding the return to sport in athletes older than 35 years undergoing rotator cuff repair.
Materials And Methods:
A systematic review of the literature was performed following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The electronic databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane were used for the literature search. Studies in English evaluating return to sport after repair of partial- or full-thickness rotator cuff tears among athletes older than 35 years of all levels and sports were included.
Results:
Four studies of level III and IV were included in this review, with a total of 140 athletes. Both full- and partial-thickness rotator cuff tears were described and managed via acromioplasty combined with open or arthroscopic repair using single or double-row suture. Of the 140 athletes, 122 returned to sports, with 102 returning to equal or higher level pre-injury. The lower mean time to return to sport among the studies included was 6.3 months.
Conclusions:
Although the evidence is limited, rotator cuff tear should not be seen as a mandatory reason for the retirement of older athletes. Of the 140 athletes included in this review, 122 returned to sport, with 102 returning to equal or higher level pre-injury.
