Rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair
Multiple factors interplay to determine whether a repaired rotator cuff will heal. These include patient age, size of the tear, chronicity of the tear, the biologic milieu, tissue quality, the…
Opinion editorial—shoulder reconstruction in adult patients with brachial plexus injury
ABOUT THE EXPERT Bassem T. Elhassan, MD, is a professor of orthopedic surgery and shoulder, elbow, and hand surgery at the Mayo Clinic. His upper extremity training started with a…
Opinion editorial—lessons learned treating patients with previous rotator cuff repairs
ABOUT THE EXPERT April Armstrong, BSc(PT), MD, MSc, FRCSC, is a professor of orthopedics, acting chair, and chief of the shoulder service at Penn State Health in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She…
Epidemiology and natural history of rotator cuff disease
Introduction The management of degenerative rotator cuff disease is controversial, and surgical indications vary widely. With increasing utilization of surgical management for rotator cuff disease, ensuring a complete understanding of…
The 13-point shoulder ultrasound examination
The first documented protocol for using musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound to evaluate the shoulder was published in 1984 by Middleton et al. Since 1984, there have been ongoing advances in ultrasound…
Anterior instability: Epidemiology, history, physical examination, imaging, and nonoperative treatment
Epidemiology Anterior shoulder instability can arise from primarily three different etiologies: trauma, congenital laxity, and acquired laxity. Determining the difference between instability and laxity is essential. Matsen proposed most patients…
Structure and function of the rotator cuff
Rotator cuff structure Anatomic overview The rotator cuff consists of four muscle-tendon units: the subscapularis, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, and teres minor ( Fig. 50.1 ). These four muscles have their origins…
Clinical management of shoulder sepsis
Presentation Pain, loss of motion, and effusion are early signs of infection. However, shoulder effusion is difficult to detect and is often missed. Motion is painful, and the arm is…
Opinion editorial—soft tissue bankart: Still the gold standard
ABOUT THE EXPERT Hiroyuki Sugaya, MD, served as Chairman of Sports Medicine & Joint Center in Funabashi Orthopaedic Hospital for 18 years. Dr. Sugaya opened Tokyo Sports & Orthopaedic Clinic…
Multidirectional instability—rehabilitation and return to sport
Traditionally the classification of shoulder instability has been based primarily on etiology and the direction of the instability. In other words, traumatic versus atraumatic in onset and anterior, posterior, or…
