Glover MA, Restrepo A, Recker AJ, Beck EC, Bullock GS, Trasolini NA, Waterman BR. An Expedited Sling Immobilization Protocol After Isolated Biceps Tenodesis Results in Clinical and Patient-Reported Postoperative Outcomes Equivalent to a Standard Rehabilitation Protocol.
Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil 2024;
6:100840. [PMID:
38187952 PMCID:
PMC10770724 DOI:
10.1016/j.asmr.2023.100840]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose
To characterize clinical and patient-reported outcomes for patients after isolated biceps tenodesis (BT) who underwent either standard or expedited sling immobilization protocols following surgery.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study compared patients who were assigned to use a sling for either 4 to 6 weeks (standard) or 0 to 2 weeks (expedited) following an isolated BT. Primary endpoint included rate of re-rupture, surgical revision, loss of fixation, and Popeye deformity. Secondary endpoints included shoulder range of motion (ROM) as well as pre- and postoperative patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of pain and function. Missing data were managed via multiple imputation with chained equations. Complication prevalence 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the Clopper Pearson method and a series of hierarchical mixed effects linear regressions were performed to assess differences between sling interventions in PROs and ROM.
Results
The average age of the standard cohort (n = 66) was 49 years (±14 years), and the average age of the expedited cohort (n = 69) was 47 years (±14 years). The expedited and standardized cohorts demonstrated 0.4 and 0.3 complications per 10,000 exposure days, respectively, with no significant difference between groups (1.4 [95% confidence interval 0.2-10.0], P = .727). There was no demonstrated difference in forward flexion, abduction, or external ROM. The expedited group had less improvement in visual analog scale for pain scores that was not clinically significant and there were no differences in PROs of function.
Conclusions
No statistically significant difference in the rate of re-rupture, surgical revision, loss of fixation, or Popeye deformity was noted between protocols after isolated BT. Furthermore, there were no clinically significant differences in ROM or PROs identified between protocols after isolated BT. This study suggests that patients who have undergone isolated BT may safely discontinue sling use within 2 weeks after surgery.
Level of Evidence
Level III, retrospective comparative study.
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