Shoulder scoring scales for the evaluation of rotator cuff repair.

Various assessment tools have been proposed for evaluation of shoulder function. Analyses of comparability, validity, and reliability among shoulder assessment tools are lacking. The purpose of our investigation was to compare the results of three commonly used shoulder assessment tools in the evaluation of a specific shoulder condition. Seventy-two full-thickness rotator cuff tears were treated with an open rotator cuff repair from 1986-1993. The average age of the patients at surgery was 58 years (range, 24-92 years). The median duration of followup at the time of evaluation for this study was 55 months (range, 24-102 months; standard deviation, 22 months). Correlation among the results of the UCLA, Constant-Murley, and the Simple Shoulder Test scales was fair (range, 0.66-0.76). More importantly, the three systems were evaluated for their ability to accurately predict improved motion, strength, and patient satisfaction. The Simple Shoulder Test and the Constant-Murley scales showed the highest positive predictive values. The Simple Shoulder Test is a patient-based self-assessment device that easily can be incorporated into a busy clinical practice, providing outcome data comparable with complex evaluation systems when evaluating the results of rotator cuff repair.