Relationship between the progression of posterosuperior rotator cuff tear size and shoulder abduction function: A cadaveric study via dynamic shoulder simulator

Liren Wang; Yuhao Kang; Haocheng Jin; Mingqi Wang; Yiyao Wei; Haihan Gao; Dingyi Shi; Suiran Yu; Guoming Xie; Jia Jiang; Jinzhong Zhao

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2022.858488

Relationship between the progression of posterosuperior rotator cuff tear size and shoulder abduction function: A cadaveric study via dynamic shoulder simulator

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 Sep 27:10:858488. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.858488. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Liren Wang^{1

2}, Yuhao Kang^{1

2}, Haocheng Jin^{1

2}, Mingqi Wang^{2

3}, Yiyao Wei^{2

3}, Haihan Gao⁴, Dingyi Shi⁴, Suiran Yu⁵, Guoming Xie¹, Jia Jiang^{1

2

6}, Jinzhong Zhao^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sports Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.
² Regenerative Sports Medicine and Translational Youth Science and Technology Innovation Workroom, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
³ School of Basic Medical Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁵ School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Regenerative Sports Medicine Lab of the Institute of Microsurgery on Extremities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People' Hospital, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Posterosuperior rotator cuff tear (PSRCT) is one of the most common shoulder disorders in elderly people's daily life; however, the biomechanical relationship between PSRCT and shoulder abduction function is still controversial. In this study, a total of twelve freshly frozen cadaveric shoulders were included and tested in five conditions: intact rotator cuff, 1/3 PSRCT, 2/3 PSRCT, entire PSRCT, and global RCT. In each condition, extra load (0%, 45%, and 90% failure load) was sequentially added to the distal humerus, and the function of the remaining rotator cuff was mainly evaluated via the middle deltoid force (MDF) required for abduction. It is found that the peak MDF is required for abduction did not differ among the three PSRCT conditions (1/3 PSRCT: 29.30 ± 5.03 N, p = 0.96; 2/3 PSRCT: 29.13 ± 9.09 N, p = 0.98; entire PSRCT: 28.85 ± 7.12 N, p = 0.90) and the intact condition (29.18 ± 4.99 N). However, the peak MDF significantly differed between the global RCT (76.27 ± 4.94 N, p < 0.01) and all PSRCT and intact conditions. Under 45% failure load, the MDF of the entire PSRCT and global tear conditions were significantly increased compared with another status. With the 90% failure load, only the 1/3 PSRCT condition maintained the same shoulder function as the intact rotator cuff. These biomechanical testing jointly suggested that the weight-bearing ability of the shoulder significantly decreased as PSRCT progressed.

Keywords: abduction function; biomechanics; deltoid; rotator cuff tear; shoulder stimulator.