Complications of the Fingers and Hand After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

BACKGROUND: Complications of the fingers and hand that occur after Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair (ARCR) have not been examined in detail. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of complications of the fingers and hand that occur after ARCR and to examine treatment outcomes. METHODS: The case records of 40 patients (41 shoulders) who underwent ARCR using suture anchors were retrospectively reviewed to investigate complications of the fingers and hand after ARCR. RESULTS: Twelve patients (29%) experienced numbness, pain, edema, and movement limitations of the fingers and hand. These symptoms occurred on average 1.1 months (range, 0.1-2.5 months) after ARCR. The diagnoses were cubital tunnel syndrome in 2 hands, carpal tunnel syndrome in 3 hands, and flexor tenosynovitis (TS) in 10 hands. None of the 10 hands with TS exhibited triggering of the fingers. The mean interval between treatment initiation and symptom resolution was 2.2 months for the 5 hands treated by corticosteroid injection or surgery and 5.9 months for the 7 hands treated by alternating warm and cold baths alone. None of the hands exhibited Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). CONCLUSION: Complications of the fingers and hand after ARCR were observed in 29%. TS was the most frequent complication. When symptoms in the fingers and hand occur after ARCR, rather than immediately suspecting CRPS, TS should be primarily suspected, including when TS symptoms such as triggering are not present, and these patients should be treated proactively using corticosteroid injections or surgery.