Return to sport following shoulder surgery in the elite pitcher: a systematic review

Abstract

CONTEXT:

The ability to return to elite pitching, performance, and clinical outcomes of shoulder surgery in elite baseball pitchers are not definitively established.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine (1) the rate of return to sport (RTS) in elite pitchers following shoulder surgery, (2) postoperative clinical outcomes upon RTS, and (3) performance upon RTS and to compare RTS rates in different types of shoulder surgery.

DATA SOURCES:

Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and checklist, Medline, SciVerse Scopus, SportDiscus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched.

STUDY SELECTION:

Levels I-IV evidence were eligible for inclusion if performance-based (eg, RTS) and/or clinical outcome-based reporting of outcomes were reported following surgical treatment of shoulder pathology in elite pitchers (major or minor league or collegiate).

DATA EXTRACTION:

Subject, shoulder, and pre- and postoperative performance-based variables of interest were extracted. All shoulder surgery types were potentially inclusive (eg, open, arthroscopic, rotator cuff, labrum, biceps, acromioclavicular joint, fracture). Study methodological quality was analyzed using the Modified Coleman Methodology Score (MCMS).

RESULTS:

Six studies were analyzed (287 elite male pitchers [mean age, 27 years] who underwent shoulder surgery, with 99% on the dominant, throwing shoulder). MCMS was 38 (poor). Most pitchers were professional, with a mean career length of 6.58 years and postoperative clinical follow-up of 3.62 years. In 5 of 6 studies, multiple diagnoses were addressed concomitantly at surgery. Rate of RTS was 68% at mean 12 months following surgery. Twenty-two percent of Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers never RTS in MLB. Overall performance did improve following surgery; however, this did not improve to pre-injurylevels.

CONCLUSION:

In this systematic review, the rate of return to elite baseball pitching following surgery was established. Performance tended to decrease prior to surgery and gradually improve postoperatively, though not reaching pre-injury levels of pitching.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

IV (systematic review of studies level I-IV evidence), therapeutic.

KEYWORDS:

Major League Baseball, arthroscopy, pitcher, shoulder, surgery

PMID:

 

24459557

 

[PubMed] 

PMCID:

 

PMC3899910

 [Available on 2014/7/1]

Advanced Age Diminishes Tendon-to-Bone Healing in a Rat Model of Rotator Cuff Repair

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Advanced patient age is associated with recurrent tearing and failure ofrotator cuff repairs clinically; however, basic science studies have not evaluated the influence of aging on tendon-to-bone healing after rotator cuff repair in an animal model.Hypothesis/ PURPOSE:This study examined the effect of aging on tendon-to-bone healing in an established rat model of rotator cuff repair using the aged animal colony from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health. The authors hypothesized that normal aging decreases biomechanical strength and histologic organization at the tendon-to-bone junction after acute repair. STUDY DESIGN:Controlled laboratory study. METHODS:In 56 F344xBN rats, 28 old and 28 young (24 and 8 months of age, respectively), the supraspinatus tendon was transected and repaired. At 2 or 8 weeks after surgery, shoulder specimens underwent biomechanical testing to compare load-to-failure and load-relaxation response between age groups. Histologic sections of the tendon-to-bone interface were assessed with hematoxylin and eosin staining, and collagen fiber organization was assessed by semiquantitative analysis of picrosirius red birefringence under polarized light. RESULTS:Peak failure load was similar between young and old animals at 2 weeks after repair (31% vs 26% of age-matched uninjured controls, respectively; P > .05) but significantly higher in young animals compared with old animals 8 weeks after repair (86% vs 65% of age-matched uninjured controls, respectively; P < .01). Eight weeks after repair, fibroblasts appeared more organized and uniformly aligned in young animals on hematoxylin and eosin slides compared with old animals. Collagen birefringence analysis of the tendon-to-bone junction demonstrated that young animals had increased collagen fiber organization and similar histologic structure compared with age-matched controls (53.7 ± 2.4 gray scales; P > .05). In contrast, old animals had decreased collagen fiber organization and altered structure compared with age-matched controls (49.8 ± 3.1 gray scales; P < .01).Discussion:In a rat model of aging, old animals demonstrated diminished tendon-to-bone healing after rotator cuff injury and repair. Old animals had significantly decreased failure strength and collagen fiber organization at the tendon-to-bone junction compared with young animals. This study implies that animal age may need to be considered in future studies of rotator cuff repair in animal models. CLINICAL RELEVANCE:With increasing age and activity level of the population, the incidence of rotator cuff tears is predicted to rise. Despite advances in rotator cuff repair technique, the retear rate remains specifically high in elderly patients. The findings of this research suggest that aging negatively influences tendon-to-bone healing after rotator cuff repair in a validated animal model.

KEYWORDS:

aging, biomechanics, elderly, quasi-linear viscoelastic, rehabilitation, rotator cufftear, shoulder

PMID:

 

24500915

 

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]