Kinesiophobia and its impact on shoulder function in patients following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair of the supraspinatus tendon: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Rotator cuff tears are common and debilitating, with arthroscopic repair being the preferred treatment. However, the relationship between kinesiophobia and shoulder function remains insufficiently explored.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess shoulder function and kinesiophobia levels in patients six weeks after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) of the supraspinatus tendon, and to explore their interrelationships to provide insights for improving recovery and patient outcomes.

METHODS

The study involved 129 patients who had undergone ARCR of the supraspinatus tendon at a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, between March 2023 and May 2024. A general information questionnaire, the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), the Constant-Murley Score (CMS), the Self-Efficacy for Exercise (SEE) scale, the Groningen Orthopaedic Social Support Scale (GO-SSS), the Numeric Pain rating scale(NRPS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) were used to survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression models via SPSS 29.0 software. The STROBE checklist guides the reporting of the manuscript.

RESULTS

The average TSK score was 46.90 ± 5.40, with 96.12% of patients scoring above the threshold for high kinesiophobia. The mean score for the CMS was 37.93 ± 16.04. Analysis revealed that TSK score (β = -0.149, p = 0.027), age (β = -0.189, p = 0.005), and NRPS score (β = -0.658, p < 0.001) significantly influenced CMS scores, accounting for 52.7% of the variance in shoulder function.

CONCLUSIONS

Kinesiophobia is at a high level among patients 6 weeks after ARCR of the supraspinatus tendon. Higher levels of kinesiophobia are associated with poorer shoulder function following the surgery.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Future clinical practice may consider assessing kinesiophobia during early postoperative care to identify patients after ARCR of the supraspinatus tendon with fear of movement, which could be considered when planning individualized rehabilitation strategies.