Arthroscopic Surgery More Successful in Active Patients

A new study has found that for highly active first-time shoulder dislocation patients, arthroscopic surgery yielded excellent long-term benefit when compared to conservative methods.

Researchers at the Keller Army Hospital (West Point, NY, USA) and the Williams Beaumont Army Medical Center (El Paso, TX, USA) evaluated 39 patients (with a total of 40 shoulder operations) whose follow-up averaged 11.7 years. Patients were evaluated with patient-derived outcome measures and asked to compare their repaired shoulder to its function level pre-injury and whether they would be likely to have the surgery again. Additionally, they were physically assessed with a number of tests, including how many push-ups they completed in two minutes and performance on the Army Physical Fitness Test.

The study results found that overall, the patients maintained excellent use of their shoulder. The patients compared their repaired shoulders' function to the pre-injury function, with the average response at 93%. When responding to whether they would have the surgery again, the average score was 9.1 out of 10. In terms of athletic ability, the study found the average number of push-ups performed in 2 minutes was 72.8, compared to 77.7 prior to their injuries. The mean score of the Army Physical Fitness Test was 282.2 out of a possible 300. The study also noted five patients who had eight further dislocations, all of which occurred during athletic activity, for a failure rate of 10% long-term. The study results were presented at the 2008 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Specialty Day, held during March 2008 in San Francisco (CA, USA).

"Certainly our study proves that for this group of patients, young, athletic cadets unable to modify their activity level, arthroscopic surgery for first-time dislocations is successful both short and long-term,” said co-author Major Brett Owens, M.D., of the Beaumont Army Medical Center. "This treatment allowed our patients to return to sports, graduate from the military academy and engage in active duty military obligations. It may not be the approach that should be taken for a person who lives a sedentary lifestyle, but this could be applicable to the young, 15-25-year-old athlete, who is at high risk for recurrent instability and compromised function.”


Related Links:
Keller Army Hospital
Williams Beaumont Army Medical Center