Rotator Cuff Repair Breakthrough! Why Outcomes are Improving

If you’ve torn your rotator cuff, you may be considering surgery. Thankfully, things have come a long way since the first rotator cuff repair took place in the U.S. in 1911. Today’s techniques make long-term success of rotator cuff surgery and restored mobility much more likely.

At Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, orthopaedic and sports medicine specialist George Hatch, MD, treats rotator cuff tears and SLAP tears using the latest technology and techniques. Read on to find out about the latest breakthrough in rotator cuff surgery.

Rotator cuff injuries

The rotator cuff is made up of a capsule surrounding the joint, supported by thick muscles and tendons. Injury to the rotator cuff can be a partial tear or a complete tear. The first may be healed with time and physical therapy, but the second usually requires surgical expertise.

Rotator cuff tears can happen all at once from a single injury, or slowly over time through wear and tear of the shoulder joint. Professional athletes and people in jobs that require repetitive motions, like house painters, are at high risk for rotator cuff injuries.

One of the biggest challenges when trying to repair a large or massive rotator cuff full-depth tear is the chance of reinjury due to the weakened state of the joint. However, a breakthrough in joint repair has increased the chances of long-term success for rotator cuff surgeries.

Dermal allograft augmentation

A major issue with rotator cuff repair is trying to get the tendon to reattach to the bone. A weak connection surrounded by equally weakened muscles can mean the repair fails. Thankfully, dermal allografts can help.

A dermal allograft is a portion of tissue taken from the dermis (deep layer of skin) of a cadaver. The tissue is sterilized and the cells removed, leaving behind a collagen-rich matrix. This can be used as a scaffold for regenerating tissue connections, and is ideal for promoting regeneration in soft tissue arthroscopic repairs like rotator cuff restoration.

The dermal allograft acts as a patch, giving the tendon something to bind to more securely. This strengthens the entire joint as it heals, and reduces the risk for reinjury. Overall, the healing rates of rotator cuff repairs using scaffolds range between 60% and 85%, compared with 40% with nonaugmented repairs. 

Rotator cuff repair using dermal allografts has also been associated with improved range of motion and functional scores compared with nonaugmented repairs, with lower pain scores and greater postoperative external rotation results. Allografts have truly changed the future of long-term rotator cuff health after surgery.

To learn more about rotator cuff repair and find out if you’re a candidate for allograft augmented surgery, contact our office by calling 323-442-5860, or book an appointment online today with Dr. George Hatch of Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery.