# Shoulder Function After Rotator Cuff Repair

> **NIH NIH R01** · HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM · 2022 · $327,789

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Rotator cuff tears affect about 40% of the population over age 60 and are a common cause of pain and
disability. Approximately 250,000 rotator cuff repairs are performed in the United States each year, but
healing following surgery is a significant challenge (e.g., 20-70% of surgical repairs fail) and post-
operative shoulder function is unpredictable. There is also often a disconnect between repair tissue
healing and shoulder function where patients have poor shoulder function (e.g., limited strength and
pain) despite an intact repair or, conversely, excellent shoulder function despite a failed repair.
Conventional clinical data (e.g., patient age, tear size) are not strong predictors of clinical outcome, and
therefore this disconnect between healing and function remains difficult to explain. Recent research
suggests that repair tension and repair tissue elongation may provide insight into post-operative healing
and shoulder function that is not adequately provided by clinical data. However, the relationships
between repair tension, repair tissue deformation, healing, and shoulder function are not well
understood. The objectives of this application are to determine how rotator cuff repair affects shoulder
motion, strength, and patient-reported outcomes, and to assess the influence of repair tension and
repair tissue deformation on these outcomes. The rationale for this project is based on several
important findings from our on-going work regarding the progression and treatment of rotator cuff tears:
1) rotator cuff pathology, even in the absence of symptoms, has a significant impact on shoulder
function, 2) physical therapy improves clinical outcomes despite only minor changes in joint motion, 3)
surgical repair appears to alter glenohumeral joint (GHJ) motion in a way that suggests excessive
repair tension, and 4) shoulder motion, strength, and patient-reported pain/function scores are inter-
related after surgery. Based on these findings and the purported roles of repair tension and repair
tissue elongation, our central hypothesis is that repair tissue elongation (up to and including failure) is
due, at least in part, to repair tension approaching or exceeding the mechanical capacity of the healing
repair tissue. We also hypothesize that repair tissue deformation affects joint motion in ways that have
a significant impact on strength and patient-reported outcomes. Our approach will be to conduct a
longitudinal study that measures repair tension, repair tissue deformation, joint motion, strength, and
patient-reported outcomes before and after surgical repair. The proposed research is innovative
because it will use a state-of-the-art imaging technique to provide an accurate assessment of the
mechanical progression of healing rotator cuff repair tissues. The contribution of this research will be
significant because it will advance our understanding of how surgical repair influences shoulder function
and clinical outcomes, ultimate...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10426095
- **Project number:** 5R01AR051912-12
- **Recipient organization:** HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael J Bey
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $327,789
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2006-02-20 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10426095

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10426095, Shoulder Function After Rotator Cuff Repair (5R01AR051912-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10426095. Licensed CC0.

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