Impact of Work-Related Problems on the Outcomes of Rotator Cuff Repairs: A Retrospective Comparative Study of Patients With and Without Work-Related Claims.

Background: Rotator cuff syndrome is a common cause of medical appointments and surgeries. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with work-related problems who underwent arthroscopic repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears (RCTs) versus those without work-related or social security claims.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study comparing the outcomes of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Rating (UCLA) scores 24 months after arthroscopic repair of full-thickness RCTs of patients with and without work-related problems was performed. Patients with work-related problems were defined as those who received financial assistance from their employer or social security for more than 16 weeks before or after surgery, or those who were unable to return to work or had to change or re-adapt their job function.

Results: We evaluated 419 shoulders (411 patients), 102 shoulders with work-related claims and 317 shoulders without these claims. ASES and UCLA scores from both groups improved significantly (p < 0.001) 24 months after surgery. Patients with work-related problems had comparatively lower preoperative ASES and UCLA scores (p = 0.047 and p = 0.021, respectively) and obtained lower values after intervention for both scores, achieving 71.9 ± 18.8 on the ASES score and 28.1 ± 5.6 on the UCLA score at 24 months post-operatively. Meanwhile, patients without work-related complaints scored 82.1 ± 19 points on the ASES score and 30.1 ± 5.6 points on the UCLA score at 24 months post-operatively (p = 0.007 and p = 0.045, respectively).

Conclusion: At two-year follow-up, patients with work-related claims have significant improvement after arthroscopic repair of full-thickness RCTs by the ASES and UCLA scores. However, they have worse clinical outcomes than patients without these claims.