Background: Patients undergoing shoulder stabilization surgery have been shown to have elevated activity levels. Factors associated with shoulder activity in this patient population at baseline and after surgery are unknown.
Hypothesis: Patient-specific variables are associated with shoulder activity level at baseline and at 2-year follow-up in a cohort of patients undergoing shoulder stabilization surgery.
Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.
Methods: Patients undergoing shoulder stabilization surgery were prospectively enrolled. As part of the data collection process, patients completed a previously validated Shoulder Activity Scale. A regression analysis was performed to assess the association of patient characteristics with baseline and 2-year follow-up shoulder activity levels.
Results: A total of 764 (n = 612 men, n = 152 women) out of 957 patients (80%) undergoing shoulder stabilization surgery with a median age of 25 years had baseline and 2-year follow-up data and were included in the current analysis. The baseline shoulder activity level was associated with race ( P < .0001) and preoperative duration of instability (P < .0001). At 2 years, 52% of the cohort had returned to the same or higher activity level after surgery. Predictors of higher shoulder activity level at 2-year follow-up included higher baseline activity level (P < .0001), male sex (P < .0001), younger age (P = .004), higher body mass index (BMI) (P = .03), more dislocations (P = .03), nonsmokers (P = .04), and race (P = .04).
Conclusion: A longer duration of preoperative symptoms was associated with a lower baseline activity in this cohort. High baseline preoperative shoulder activity, younger age, male sex, higher BMI, number of dislocations, and nonsmoking status predicted higher shoulder activity 2 years after shoulder stabilization surgery.
Registration: NCT02075775 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
Keywords: activity level; instability; labral tear; shoulder; stabilization surgery.