This MOON Shoulder Group prospective multicenter cohort study enrolled 433 patients with MRI-confirmed full-thickness atraumatic rotator cuff tears to identify which baseline factors predict failure of a standardized physical therapy protocol — defined as proceeding to surgery — using Cox proportional hazards modeling.
When a patient with a full-thickness atraumatic rotator cuff tear expresses low confidence in physical therapy before starting it, that skepticism — not tear size or pain level — is your strongest signal they will end up in the OR; address expectations explicitly before committing to a rehab trial.
Higher activity level is the one anatomic/functional factor that reasonably supports earlier surgical discussion.
This MOON Shoulder Group prospective multicenter cohort study enrolled 433 patients with MRI-confirmed full-thickness atraumatic rotator cuff tears to identify which baseline factors predict failure of a standardized physical therapy protocol — defined as proceeding to surgery — using Cox proportional hazards modeling.
When a patient with a full-thickness atraumatic rotator cuff tear expresses low confidence in physical therapy before starting it, that skepticism — not tear size or pain level — is your strongest signal they will end up in the OR; address expectations explicitly before committing to a rehab trial.
Higher activity level is the one anatomic/functional factor that reasonably supports earlier surgical discussion.