Return to Sports Activity After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Hyun Gon Kim; Seung-Ho Kim; Su Cheol Kim; Jong Hun Park; Jae Soo Kim; Bo Taek Kim; Sang Min Lee; Jae Chul Yoo

doi:10.1177/23259671231208959

Return to Sports Activity After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Orthop J Sports Med. 2023 Nov 28;11(11):23259671231208959. doi: 10.1177/23259671231208959. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Hyun Gon Kim¹, Seung-Ho Kim², Su Cheol Kim¹, Jong Hun Park¹, Jae Soo Kim¹, Bo Taek Kim¹, Sang Min Lee¹, Jae Chul Yoo¹

Affiliations

¹ Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Saeroun Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Background: There are little published data on return to sports (RTS) after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA).

Purpose: To (1) determine the rate and timing of RTS after RTSA in an Asian population, (2) analyze predictive factors for RTS, and (3) determine the relationship between RTS after RTSA and clinical/radiological outcomes.

Study design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on consecutive patients with diagnosis of irreparable rotator cuff tear (RCT), cuff tear arthropathy (CTA), or degenerative osteoarthritis who underwent RTSA between May 2017 and May 2020. Included were patients who played sports preoperatively in ≤3 years and had ≥2-year follow-up. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on responses to a telephone survey about RTS after RTSA: those who returned to sports (group A) and those who did not (group B). Patient characteristics, pre- and postoperative clinical features and functional scores, and radiologic outcomes (acromial fracture, scapular notching, heterotopic ossification, and loosening of humeral and glenoid component) were compared between the groups.

Results: Of 59 eligible patients, 44 patients (28 in group A, 16 in group B) were included. The RTS rate after RTSA was 63.6%, and the mean RTS time was 9.1 months (range, 3-36 months). There was a significant group difference in body mass index (BMI) (group A, 24.3 ± 2.1; group B, 27.1 ± 4.4; P = .01) and preoperative diagnosis (CTA/irreparable RCT/degenerative osteoarthritis diagnoses: group A, 13/12/3; group B, 3/6/7; P = .03). Patients in group A showed significantly higher forward flexion (P = .03) and higher Simple Shoulder Test score (P = .02) than group B at final clinical follow-up. No significant difference in radiological outcomes was found between the groups.

Conclusion: Patients with a low BMI and those diagnosed with CTA or irreparable RCT were found to have better RTS rates after undergoing RTSA, and forward flexion and Simple Shoulder Test scores at final follow-up were significantly higher in the RTS group, with no significant differences in complications.

Keywords: physical activity; return to sport; reverse total shoulder arthroplasty; shoulder replacement.