Physical therapy in patients over 60 years of age with a massive and irreparable rotator cuff tear: a case series

[Purpose] Describe the effect of a Physical Therapy (PT) program in function improvement and pain reduction in patients over 60 years of age with massive and irreparable Rotator Cuff (RC) tear. [Participants and Methods] Ninety-two patients received a 12 weeks PT program that consisted in manual therapy and a specific exercises program. Before the start and at the end of the treatment, the shoulder function was assessed with Constant-Murley, the upper extremity function with DASH, and the pain during activity with the visual analog scale (VAS). [Results] At the end of the treatment, Constant-Murley exhibited an increment of 24.9 points, DASH showed a decrease of 28.7 points, and the VAS, a decrease of 3.6 cm (p=0.00). [Conclusion] A PT program based on manual therapy and specific exercises in a short term improves the function and reduces the pain during activity in patients with a massive and irreparable RC tear.