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Treatment of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears in Overhead Athletes

  • Injuries in Overhead Athletes (J Dines and C Camp, section editors)
  • Published:
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

To review the etiology, classification, presentation, evaluation, treatment strategy, and outcomes in overhead athletes with partial thickness rotator cuff tears.

Recent Findings

Despite advances in surgical repair techniques, return to play following surgical repair of partial rotator cuff tears remains modest at best.

Summary

Overhead athletes may be particularly prone to rotator cuff pathology due to the supraphysiological strains within the tendon during the throwing motion, as well as mechanical stress with contact between the undersurface of the rotator cuff and the glenoid. The true prevalence of partial tears may be underestimated given the high incidence of asymptomatic tears. Both dynamic ultrasound and enhanced contrast MRI have improved our understanding of this pathology. For most overhead athletes, nonoperative management is the most common course. Despite advances in imaging, diagnosis, and surgical techniques, our ability to return these patients to their elite level is modest at best when nonoperative management fails and surgical treatment is performed. If a surgical route is needed, debridement alone is the most frequent procedure given concerns of over constraint and poor return to play with surgical repair of the partial thickness rotator cuff tear.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Sports Medicine, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, 1611 West Harrison Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Joseph N. Liu, Grant H. Garcia, Anirudh K. Gowd, Brandon C. Cabarcas, Michael D. Charles, Anthony A. Romeo & Nikhil N. Verma

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Correspondence to Joseph N. Liu.

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Conflict of Interest

Anthony A. Romeo reports American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Board or committee member. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons: Board or committee member. Orthopedics: Editorial or governing board. Orthopedics Today: Board or committee member; Editorial or governing board. SAGE: Editorial or governing board. SLACK Incorporated: Editorial or governing board. Wolters Kluwer Health - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Editorial or governing board.

Nikhil N. Verma reports American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Board or committee member. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons: Board or committee member. Arthroscopy Association Learning Center Committee: Board or committee member. Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board. Journal of Knee Surgery: Editorial or governing board. SLACK Incorporated: Editorial or governing board.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Injuries in Overhead Athletes

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Liu, J.N., Garcia, G.H., Gowd, A.K. et al. Treatment of Partial Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears in Overhead Athletes. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 11, 55–62 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-018-9459-2

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