The effects of pre-operative intra-articular glenohumeral corticosteroid injection on infective complications after shoulder arthroplasty.

Background: Many shoulder surgeons use intra-articular corticosteroid injections (IACI) in shoulder osteoarthritis, with the caveat that it precludes arthroplasty for at least 6 months to 12 months because of the theoretical risk of infection. To our knowledge, there is nothing available in the literature to support this notion.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective, matched cohort study of all patients who underwent shoulder arthroplasty in our unit between December 2010 and December 2013 aiming to assess whether pre-operative IACI had an impact on infective complications.

Pain and stiffness in partial-thickness rotator cuff tears.

To evaluate the null hypothesis of no difference in degree of pain or stiffness between patients with partial- and full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff, we measured pain and stiffness in a cohort of consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopy for rotator cuff-related conditions. Pain was measured with a visual analogue scale, and range of motion was measured with a goniometer. Included in the study were 410 shoulders (410 patients), of which 214 had no tear, 66 had articular-sided partial-thickness tears, and 83 had single-tendon full-thickness tears.