Rotator cuff repair: Impact of Shoulder Therapeutic Exercises on Patients’ Outcomes

Abstract

Background: Following rotator cuff surgery, the goal of exercise therapy is to preserve elbow, wrist, and hand range of motion while enhancing glen humeral joint range of motion. Aim: Evaluate the effect of implementing shoulder therapeutic exercises on patients' outcomes (pain, function, active forward flexion, strength, satisfaction and complications).for patients with rotator cuff repair. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was used to achieve the study's aim. Setting: This study was carried out at Arthroscopy unit, orthopedics surgery department and its outpatient’s clinics at Assiut university hospitals. Subjects: A convenient sample of 40 patients were divided into two groups (study group and control group) of 20 patients each Tools: Three tools were used to achieve the aim of the study. Tool I: patient’s assessment questionnaire. Tool II: Modified UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) Shoulder Rating. Tool III: Shoulder therapeutic exercises. Results: The results showed that near to three quarters (70%) had fair level of shoulder rating scale while the control group had two fifth (40%). There was statistically significant difference at follow up between study and control group Conclusion: Shoulder therapeutic exercises improved patients’ complications and shoulder rating scale among the study groups’ patients. Recommendation: The study on huge probability sampling should be applied.