Shoulder brace has no detrimental effect on basic spatio-temporal gait parameters and functional mobility after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Background: The risk of falls in patients undergoing orthopedic procedures is significant in terms of health and socioeconomic effects.

Research Question: Is there an influence of the shoulder abduction brace (SAB) on gait parameters in patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR)?

Methods: Thirty-five patients undergoing ARCR, who used a 15° SAB in the postoperative period, were included in a prospective study. Participants underwent gait analysis preoperatively (T), 24 h after surgery (T), 1 week (T), and 4 weeks after surgery (1 week after SAB removal) (T) by using a wearable inertial sensor (BTS G-Walk sensor). Gait Parameters (cadence, speed, right (R) and left (L) step length, gait and propulsion-R and L symmetry indices) and functional mobility (agility and balance) were assessed using the 10-meter test (10MWT) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, respectively.

Results: There were 22 men and 13 women with a median age of 56 (IQR 48.0-61.0) years. The right upper limb was involved in 83% of cases. Regarding the 10MWT, speed was significantly higher at T than at T (p < 0.01) and significantly lower at T than at T (p < 0.05). Cadence was significantly lower at T than at T (p < 0.05). Propulsion-R was significantly higher at T than at T (p < 0.01), whereas propulsion-L was significantly lower at T than at T (p < 0.05) and significantly higher at T and T than T (p < 0.01 for all). No significant differences were found for R and L step lengths as well as for symmetry index (p > 0.05). Regarding TUG test, the final turning phase was significantly higher at T than at T (p < 0.01).

Significance: The results demonstrated that the use of the SAB affected gait speed and propulsion only 24 h after ARCR, but no effects were reported at long-term observations.