Physical Therapy Utilization Prior to Biceps Tenodesis or Tenotomy for Biceps Tendinopathy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) tendinopathy often requires surgical management.
• The utilization of physical therapy (PT) before surgical intervention for LHBT tendinopathy is not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the frequency and nature of physical therapy interventions utilized by patients prior to undergoing biceps tenodesis or tenotomy.
• To analyze the number of PT visits and the types of interventions administered.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational cohort study design was employed.
• Analysis of medical records for 308 patients, identifying 62 (20.1%) who received PT before surgery.
• Categorization of interventions into active and passive modalities based on procedure codes.

Main Results:

• The median number of PT visits was four, with 63% of patients attending four or more sessions.
• Active interventions (54.5%) primarily included therapeutic exercise (e.g., resistance, functional activity, motor control, stretching).
• Passive interventions (45.5%) predominantly involved manual therapy (e.g., soft tissue mobilization, joint manipulation).

Conclusions:

• Physical therapy is not commonly utilized before biceps tenodesis and tenotomy surgeries.
• Further research is warranted to explore the underlying reasons for the low rate of pre-operative PT utilization.