A Comprehensive Evaluation of Factors Affecting Healing, Range of Motion, Strength, and Patient-Reported Outcomes After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff repair (RCR) leads to improved patient outcomes, which may or may not coincide with biological healing of the tendon. Many patient factors may play a role in subjective and objective patient outcomes of surgery. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of various patient factors and tendon healing on range of motion, strength, and functional outcomes after arthroscopic RCR. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: We reviewed patients who underwent arthroscopic RCR. Postoperative endpoints included physical examination, repeat magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and patient-reported outcome measures. The Short Form–36 (SF-36) was also completed at enrollment. Physical examination included range of motion and strength testing. Preoperative tear characteristics and postoperative healing on MRI were recorded. Associations between these characteristics and rotator cuff healing were determined. Multivariate models investigated factors affecting healing and final outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients had MRI before and a minimum of 1 year after RCR. Patient-reported outcomes were available for all patients at mean 2.7 years (range, 1-7.7 years) after RCR. Seventy-five patients had physical examination data. Patients were less likely to heal if they had tears involving multiple tendons (P = .037), tears >2.2 cm (P = .037), tears retracted >2.0 cm (P = .006), and tears with cumulative Goutallier grade ≥3 (P = .003). Patients who healed were stronger on manual muscle testing in forward elevation (P < .001) and external rotation (P = .005) and on forward elevation isometric testing (P = .033), and they reported better patient-reported outcomes (P ≤ .01) at final follow-up. In multivariate models, tendon healing was associated with less pain (P = .019) and better patient-reported outcomes (all P ≤ .006). Lower SF-36 mental component summary (MCS) score was associated with increased pain (P = .025) and lower final American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (P = .035), independent of healing status. CONCLUSION: Larger, more retracted tears with greater fatty infiltration are less likely to heal per MRI. Patients who do not heal are weaker and have worse patient-reported outcome measures. Lower SF-36 MCS score was associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes independent of tendon healing.