Your shoulder is one of the integral but sometimes underestimated joints in the body. It facilitates the arm’s movements on different occasions, including driving or playing a catch game. Unfortunately, it may be affected by painful problems, including rotator cuff tear injury. Thus, most individuals with rotator cuff tear West Chester have been turning to surgeries to address the problem. Although surgeries effectively provide an enhanced shoulder and decrease pain, there are cases of the healing process taking too long. Here are reasons why the rotator cuff can fail to heal after surgery.
Age
The tendons are linked to the bone starting to wear out as one advance in age. In most cases, wear and tear begin once you are approximately 30 years old, even though it may vary from one person to another. However, after 50 years, everyone will experience some degeneration that can contribute to a tear without any real disturbance.
The Tear Size and Amount of Damage Impact the Healing Process
There is the possibility of healing directly related to the tear’s size and depth. If the surgery involves a larger rotator cuff tear, there are high chances of failure after surgery. Alternatively, if the damage is large after you undergo surgery, you will likely take a long time to heal.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)
MSCs mainly originate from synovial cells from the subacromial bursa. MSCs will likely be isolated from the proximal humerus via the anchor tunnel developed during arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery. The addition of MSCs does not facilitate improvement in the structure, strength, and composition of the healing of the rotator cuff tear.
Aggressive Rehabilitation
Normally, if a patient goes back to their daily routine than expected, there are high chances of delayed healing. Alternatively, if the therapy comes with much pain, the therapist should slow down the pace; otherwise, the healing process will be affected. Sometimes you may return to normal work after six months of surgery, but it is advisable to return to activities after nine months for speedy healing.
Rotator Cuff Atrophy and Fatty Infiltration
Severe preoperative atrophy is related to poorer postsurgical repair integrity in thirty open restorations of chronic supraspinatus tears. In most cases, possibilities of recurrent tears are more present in patients whose muscles showed advanced fatty atrophy degrees. Moreover, more reported poor healing cases are associated with fatty infiltration and supraspinatus atrophy from surgery of isolated supraspinatus tears.
Other Patient-Correlated Factors
Smoking is one of the factors that affect the healing process after surgery. Smokers are highly likely to report delayed tendon-to-bone healing compared to non-smokers. Moreover, a lack of vitamin D and bone mineral density impacts the healing of the rotator cuff after a successful surgery. Other patient-related factors that play a role in delayed healing include hypercholesterolemia and triglycerides.
Looking for medical attention instantly when you tear your rotator cuff is critical to avoid devastation from pain and decreased mobility in front of your shoulder. If you are ready to begin your treatment journey from a certified institution, choose Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, situated in West Chester, Ohio. At the center, you will receive comprehensive rotator cuff repair and shoulder function led by experienced surgeon Ronald Hess and his team. Call the center’s office or book online to plan a consultation or an appointment.
