title: Pain and stiffness in partial-thickness rotator cuff tears.
abstract: 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. There was no statistical difference for measurements of pain or stiffness between patients with partial- and full-thickness tears, and hence the null hypothesis was upheld. Neither pain nor stiffness should be used as a diagnostic indicator for differentiation of partial- and full-thickness rotator cuff tears.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AN, United Kingdom. harry.brownlow@royalberkshire.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Harry C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Brownlow
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Corner
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neen
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pennington
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000503:physiopathology; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*