Abstract
The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate isokinetic muscle strength and functional outcome following surgical rotator cuff repair in patients with full-thickness tears compared to preoperative results and compared to normal values. Twenty-four patients and 29 healthy subjects participated in the study. We measured isokinetic lateral and medial rotation strength in the patient group prior to surgery, and 18 months postoperatively on both sides and performed the same evaluation procedure in the control group in a single assessment. Constant-Murley scores were taken for assessment of the patient's functional abilities. Pre-operative strength averaged 55.4%, 68.6%, 66% and 79.7% for lateral and medial rotation at 60°/sec, and lateral and medial rotation at 180°/sec respectively, compared to the control group. Eighteen months postoperative strength increased significantly compared to the non-injured side (p<0.05) for the measurements at 60°/sec and nearly reached normal strength values since no group differences were apparent in the postoperative session. Measurements at 180°/sec did not show significant improvement. Constant-Murley scores increased significantly from 40.4 preoperatively, to 68 postoperatively. However, these scores did not attain the normal values from the control group. It was concluded that although significant strength gains are present 18 months after rotator cuff repair, shoulder function is not completely normalised. Clinicians should pay attention to full functional restoration in the rehabilitation program.