The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 69, Issue 7 1041-1044, Copyright © 1987 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Isokinetic strength of the shoulder after repair of a torn rotator cuff
SW Walker, WH Couch, GA Boester and DW Sprowl
Northeast Orthopaedics, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825.
The strength of the shoulder was measured isokinetically in forty patients
who had undergone surgical repair of a torn rotator cuff. Thirty-three
patients were tested six months postoperatively and twenty-four, after a
year. There was an increase in strength between the two intervals (p less
than 0.05) for abduction measured at 180 degrees per second, external
rotation measured at 60 and 180 degrees per second, and flexion measured at
60 degrees per second. On the average, strength reached 80 per cent of
normal in abduction and 90 per cent of normal in external rotation at one
year postoperatively. Strength of forward flexion reached 75 per cent of
normal. In seventeen patients with paired data (recorded at both six and
twelve months), an increase in strength (p less than 0.05) was found for
each motion and speed that was tested. Patients who had a small tear scored
higher than those who had a large tear, but not to a significant degree.
Whether the operation was done on the dominant extremity or on the
non-dominant one did not appear to affect the results, nor did the timing
of the repair after injury.
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