Observation of the effectiveness of rehabilitation after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Objective To discuss the effectiveness of rehabilitation training after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.Methods Seventy-four cases of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were studied.They were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group.Both groups received shoulder passive motion training after the operation.The treatment group also received 3-phase shoulder exercises for rehabilitation.changes in American shoulder & elbow surgeons' scores (ASES scores),University of California at Los Angeles shoulder scoring system scores (UCLASS),and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were assessed pre-operation,and 6 months and 1,2 and 3 years later.Results There was no difference between the groups pre-operation.After the operation,significant improvements in all the outcome measurements were observed in the treatment group.Significant improvement in VAS scores was observed only in the treatment group.Shoulder pain,mobility,range of active forward flexion,strength of forward flexion and patient satisfaction all improved significantly more in the treatment group than in the control group.Conclusions Early and systematic rehabilitation training is an effective way to improve the function of the shoulder joint after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Key words: Rotator cuff injury; Shoulder; Rehabilitation; Arthroscopic surgery