ROTATOR CUFF INJURY IN CONTACT ATHLETES

The causes and incidence of rotator cuff injuries in patients under th e age of 40 has not been clearly established. The present study focuse s on a group of 10 male contact athletes with rotator cuff injuries re lated to trauma sustained during football (ages from 24 to 36 years). Symptoms included pain and dysfunction in all 10 patients and a positi ve shrug sign in 8 of 10. The diagnoses for these patients were two is olated contusions, five partial-thickness tears, and three full-thickn ess tears. Surgery was performed on ail patients after nonoperative tr eatment failed. Three partial-thickness tears were arthroscopically de brided. One full-thickness and two partial-thickness tears were repair ed using the arthroscopically assisted miniarthrotomy technique. An op en repair was performed in two patients. Two isolated rotator cuff con tusions were arthroscopically debrided. The average followup was 21 mo nths. Nine of 10 athletes returned to active participation in football , 7 of these at their preinjury levels. The diagnosis of rotator cuff injury should be considered in a contact athlete who has persistent sh oulder pain, impingement signs, weakness, and a positive shrug sign. A rthroscopic debridement of the subacromial space followed by debrideme nt or repair of rotator cuff tears, as clinically indicated, resulted in a marked improvement in function and rapid return to sport for thes e patients.