Expectations in cuff repair

The rotator cuff is a muscle group composed of four muscles: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor muscles. The rotator cuff has an essential role in the stability and function of the shoulder joint. Rotator cuff damage, such as tears, is common, especially in older adults and people with active lifestyles. These tears can cause significant pain, loss of strength and restriction of movement, leading to reduced quality of life.
When conservative treatments such as physiotherapy do not provide the adequate results, surgery, such as rotator cuff repair, is often recommended. The number of rotator cuff repair surgeries is increasing every year, probably due to the ageing population. About three quarters of rotator cuff repairs performed result in structural healing without recurrent tears.
Previous research shows that higher preoperative expectations can predict a better outcome in shoulder surgery. Patients with rotator cuff rupture generally have high expectations from rotator cuff repair. The highest expectations focused on relief of symptoms and improvement of range of motion, where on the other hand, the duration of rehabilitation was the most concerning for patients.

Patient satisfaction after rotator cuff rupture is usually very high. Studies evaluating open and arthroscopic repairs for all different tear sizes have shown patient satisfaction rates of 87% to 100%. However, high satisfaction does not mean that all preoperative expectations were met postoperatively. The literature shows that the fulfilment of expectations can be influenced by various factors. However, little can be found in the literature about the extent to which expectations are fulfilled. Therefore, in the current study we aim to determine the extent to which patients' preoperative expectations come true postoperatively.

This is a single-center, retrospective and cross-sectional study on patients who underwent a rotator cuff repair at Reinier Haga Orthopedic Center between June 29th, 2020 and December 31st, 2022.
The preoperatively prospectively collected data in the electronic patient file and OnlinePROMS is retrospectively analysed together with cross-sectional collected data from a postoperative questionnaire.

Patients must complete a questionnaire at least two years postoperatively.

The burden of participation in this study consists of completing a questionnaire. The risks of participating in this study are none because the patients only have to fill in a questionnaire.