Editorial Commentary: May the Force Be With You-Preoperative Strength Is the Rotator Cuff Retear Predictor We Can Actually Train.

Authors

Dustin J Kress, Toufic R Jildeh

Published in

Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association. Aug 04, 2026. Epub Aug 04, 2026.

Abstract

Predicting the clinical course of rotator cuff repairs is one of the most significant and unresolved challenges in shoulder surgery. Most established predictors of retear (e.g., advanced age, fatty infiltration, large tear size, and tendon retraction) are nonmodifiable-already set prior to the time the patient arrives in the operating room. Preoperative shoulder strength, measured as a side-to-side deficit on handheld dynamometry, warrants a larger role in discussions of rotator cuff repair outcomes. It is a practical metric (inexpensive, fast, and clinically accessible), and importantly, there is suggestion that shoulder strength may stand as a modifiable predictor of retear. When it comes to predicting rotator cuff healing, may the Force be with you.

PMID:
42550592
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Aug 2026.

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