Factors influencing return to work after rotator cuff surgery: A scoping review

BackgroundSurgical management of rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) is increasingly common in the world. After surgery, the return to work (RTW) process is often difficult for many patients, indicating the presence of factors that facilitate or delay this process.ObjectiveTo identify factors influencing RTW after rotator cuff (RC) surgery.MethodsArticles regarding RTW after RC surgery were systematically searched via PubMed, Embase, and ScienceDirect databases. The review was performed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews.ResultsOf the 323 initial studies, 21 were included in the final analysis. These data represented 5445 patients, the RTW rate was 80.72%, and the time to return was 6.23 ± 1.41 months. Several individual factors are associated with poorer RTW: female sex, dominant limb injuries, surgical complications, and mental health disorders. The workload was the occupational factor with the greatest influence on the RTW process. Heavy manual work and traumatic or load-handling injury had a negative influence, whereas sedentary work, repetitive motion injury and less strenuous work had positive influences. Patients under the workers' compensation system were significantly associated with difficulty returning to work, but their return rates were not different.ConclusionsThere is no single factor that indicates the success of the RTW process within the evidence analyzed. On the contrary, several patient-related and work-related factors can positively or negatively influence this process. These findings are essential for understanding differences in RTW times among workers and for designing better return strategies.