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Updated: May 8, 2026
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Association of alcohol consumption and rotator cuff retear: a case control matched cohort study
Suchung Kim1,2, Kerstina Menzel3, Lucca Lacheta4
1Orthopädie Berlin, Privatpraxis - OrthoEins, Dr. Topar, Berlin, Germany. suchung.kim@googlemail.com.
Background:
Failure of healing or retear after surgical repair of the rotator cuff tendons are still a problem and can cause ongoing shoulder pain and dysfunction. Compromised microcirculation as seen in regular alcohol consumption may lead to poor healing.
Purpose:
To compare the clinical outcomes and tendon integrity of patients after rotator cuff repair with and without regular alcohol intake.
Study Design:
Case control matched cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods:
Patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR), had regular alcohol intake (according to world health organization (WHO) definition of harmful alcohol consumption) and were at least 2 years postoperative were included, and matched according to age, sex, involved tendon, and tear size with patients who underwent ARCR without regular alcohol intake. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores were collected at final follow-up including the Constant Murley Score (CMS), Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Score (WORC), Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and visual analog scale (VAS). Tendon integrity (maintained continuity: yes/no = full thickness) was assessed by ultrasound examination at final follow-up. Complications and revision surgeries are reported.
Results:
Twenty-two patients (versus twenty-two matched-controls) were available for follow-up. There were two female (9%) and twenty male (91%) patients with a mean age of 66.6 years (standard deviation, 36-85 years). The mean follow-up was 4 years (standard deviation, 2-5 years) in the alcohol group and 5 years (standard deviation, 2-10 years) in the non-alcohol group. No differences in mean PRO scores between alcohol and non-alcohol groups were seen except VAS (0.5 (standard deviation, 0-5) vs. 1.6 (standard deviation, 0-8), (P = 0.049*) respectively). Intact tendon insertion was seen in 77% (17/22) for the alcohol group and 100% (22/22) for non-alcohol group, (P = 0.021*). One patient underwent revision surgery (5%) in the alcohol group due to a retear, no further peri- or postoperative complications were noticed.
Conclusion:
Patients with torn rotator cuff tendons benefited similarly from ARCR independently of their alcohol use concerning clinical presentation. However, significantly higher retear rates were recorded in the alcohol group.
