title: Rotator cuff tear and sarcopenia: are these related?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and consequent loss of muscle function with aging. Its prevalence among the general population is 12% to 30% in those aged >60 years. We evaluated (1) the difference in the prevalence of sarcopenia between patients with rotator cuff tear and controls and (2) the sarcopenia severity according to the size of the rotator cuff tear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Group 1 included 48 consecutive patients with chronic symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears (mean age, 60.1 ± 6.5 years; range, 46-76 years), and group 2 included 48 age- and sex-matched patients. The sarcopenic index was evaluated by using the grip strength of the asymptomatic contralateral side and the skeletal muscle mass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were found in the baseline data and demographic factors between the groups. The sarcopenic index was significantly inferior in the rotator cuff tear group than in the age- and sex-matched control groups (P = .041, .007, and .05, respectively). Patients with large to massive tears had a significantly inferior sarcopenic index than those with small and medium tears.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed that sarcopenia was more severe in patients with a chronic symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tear than in the age- and sex-matched control population and was correlated with the size of the tear, with the numbers available. Despite the individual variance in the underlying medical condition and physical activities, this study suggests that clinicians should consider the sarcopenic condition of patients with a rotator cuff tear, especially in elderly patients with large to massive tears.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seok Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jpyoon@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jong Pil
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung Sup
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Gun
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Ju
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jee Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Muscle; rotator cuff; sarcopenia; shoulder; strength; upper extremity