Preoperative pain associated with rotator cuff tears correlates with synovitis severity in the rotator interval.

BACKGROUND

The present study primarily aimed to investigate whether preoperative pain associated with rotator cuff tears correlates with the severity of synovitis in the rotator interval (RI) on arthroscopic findings retrospectively.

METHODS

Between July 2017 and December 2022, 131 shoulders with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were retrospectively investigated. The pain domain of the preoperative Constant Score and Shoulder36 were used to assess preoperative pain. Two examiners confirmed the degree of synovitis of RI in the arthroscopic findings.

RESULTS

The mean patient age was 68.9 years. Synovitis in the RI was found in 118 shoulders (94%) assessed by arthroscopy. The pain domain of the Constant Score significantly correlated with synovitis in the RI assessed by arthroscopic findings (P < .01), but the size and the number of rotator cuff tears did not.

CONCLUSION

The preoperative pain associated with rotator cuff tears significantly correlated with synovitis severity in the RI assessed by AS findings, highlighting the role of synovitis as a potential contributor to pain in patients with rotator cuff tears.