Current rehabilitation applications for shoulder ultrasound imaging.

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Abstract

The available body of knowledge on shoulder ultrasound imaging has grown considerably within the past decade, and physical therapists are among the many health care professions currently exploring the potential clinical integration of this imaging technology and the knowledge derived from it. Therefore, the primary purpose of this commentary was to review the recent evidence and emerging uses of ultrasound imaging for the clinical evaluation of shoulder disorders. This includes a detailed description of common measurement techniques along with their known clinimetric properties. Specifically provided are critical appraisals of the existing measures used to estimate soft tissue and bony morphometry, muscle contractile states, and lean muscle density. These appraisals are intended to help clinicians clarify the scope of physical therapy practice for which these measurement techniques are effectively utilized and to highlight areas in need of further development.

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Fatty infiltration and atrophy of the rotator cuff do not improve after rotator cuff repair and correlate with poor functional outcome.

James N Gladstone, Julie Bishop, Ian Lo … (2007)

The role of degenerative changes in rotator cuff musculature with respect to the functional outcomes of rotator cuff repair have only recently been recognized and are still not well understood. In addition, the reversibility of these changes with repair of the tendons is questionable. Poorer preoperative muscle quality negatively affects outcome, and a successful outcome (in terms of a healed repair) might demonstrate improvements in fatty infiltration and muscle atrophy. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Thirty-eight patients (mean age, 62 years) were prospectively evaluated with preoperative and 1-year postoperative clinical examination and appropriate magnetic resonance image sequencing to determine grades of muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES), Constant, and pain scores were determined as well as strength measurements. The retear rate and progression of muscle degeneration were also evaluated. Independent predictors of outcome measurements and cuff integrity were determined. The overall clinical outcome, including ASES, Constant, and pain scores, improved significantly (P < .0001). Strength in forward elevation improved significantly (P < .006), while external rotation strength did not. There was a strongly negative correlation between muscle quality and outcome results in most cases. When the results were adjusted for multivariate effect, muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration of the infraspinatus muscle were the only independent predictors of ASES and Constant scores (P < .03). Tear size and rotator cuff healing did not play an independent role. Tear size, however, was the only independent predictor of ultimate cuff integrity (P = .002). Both atrophy and fatty infiltration progressed significantly over the course of the study. In cases in which the tendon had re-torn, the progression was found to be more significant than when the repair proved successful (P < .003). Muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff muscles, particularly of the infraspinatus, play a significant role in determining functional outcome after cuff repair. Tear size appears to have the most influential effect on repair integrity. A successful repair did not lead to improvement or reversal of muscle degeneration and a failed repair resulted in significantly more progression. In general, healed repairs demonstrated minimal progression. These findings suggest that repairs should be performed, if possible, before more significant deterioration in the cuff musculature in order to optimize outcomes, and that understanding the degree of muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration before surgery can help guide patient expectations.

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The disabled throwing shoulder: spectrum of pathology Part I: pathoanatomy and biomechanics.

Christoph S Burkhart, W Kibler, D Morgan (2003)

PROLOGUE: Several years ago, when we began to question microinstability as the universal cause of the disabled throwing shoulder, we knew that we were questioning a sacrosanct tenet of American sports medicine. However, we were comfortable in our skepticism because we were relying on arthroscopic insights, clinical observations, and biomechanical data, thereby challenging unverified opinion with science. In so doing, we assembled a unified concept of the disabled throwing shoulder that encompassed biomechanics, pathoanatomy, kinetic chain considerations, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation. In developing this unified concept, we rejected much of the conventional wisdom of microinstability-based treatment in favor of more successful techniques (as judged by comparative outcomes) that were based on sound biomechanical concepts that had been scientifically verified. Although we have reported various components of this unified concept previously, we have been urged by many of our colleagues to publish this information together in a single reference for easy access by orthopaedic surgeons who treat overhead athletes. We are grateful to the editors of Arthroscopy for allowing us to present our view of the disabled throwing shoulder. Part I: Pathoanatomy and Biomechanics is presented in this issue. Part II: Evaluation and Treatment of SLAP Lesions in Throwers will be presented in the May-June issue. Part III: The "SICK" Scapula, Scapular Dyskinesis, the Kinetic Chain, and Rehabilitation will be presented in the July-August issue. We hope you find it thought-provoking and compelling.

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The demographic and morphological features of rotator cuff disease. A comparison of asymptomatic and symptomatic shoulders.

Leesa Galatz, Gary Middleton, C Hildebolt … (2006)

Very little comparative information is available regarding the demographic and morphological characteristics of asymptomatic and symptomatic rotator cuff tears. This information is important to provide insight into the natural history of rotator cuff disease and to identify which factors may be important in the development of pain. The purpose of the present study was to compare the morphological characteristics and prevalences of asymptomatic and symptomatic rotator cuff disease in patients who presented with unilateral shoulder pain. Five hundred and eighty-eight consecutive patients in whom a standardized ultrasonographic study had been performed by an experienced radiologist for the assessment of unilateral shoulder pain were evaluated with regard to the presence and size of rotator cuff tears in each shoulder. The demographic factors that were analyzed included age, gender, side, and cuff thickness. All of these factors were evaluated with regard to their correlation with the presence of pain. Of the 588 consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria, 212 had an intact rotator cuff bilaterally, 199 had a unilateral rotator cuff tear (either partial or full thickness), and 177 had a bilateral tear (either partial or full thickness). The presence of rotator cuff disease was highly correlated with age. The average age was 48.7 years for patients with no rotator cuff tear, 58.7 years for those with a unilateral tear, and 67.8 years for those with a bilateral tear. Logistic regression analysis indicated a 50% likelihood of a bilateral tear after the age of sixty-six years (p < 0.01). In patients with a bilateral rotator cuff tear in whom one tear was symptomatic and the other tear was asymptomatic, the symptomatic tear was significantly larger (p < 0.01). The average size of a symptomatic tear was 30% greater than that of an asymptomatic tear. Overall, patients who presented with a full-thickness symptomatic tear had a 35.5% prevalence of a full-thickness tear on the contralateral side. There is a high correlation between the onset of rotator cuff tears (either partial or full thickness) and increasing age. Bilateral rotator cuff disease, either symptomatic or asymptomatic, is common in patients who present with unilateral symptomatic disease. As the size of a tear appears to be an important factor in the development of symptoms, we recommend surveillance at yearly intervals for patients with known rotator cuff tears that are treated nonoperatively.