The use of biological agents to accelerate recovery from rotator cuff repair: Path to clinical application

Injury to the rotator cuff tendons is a common cause of pain and disability in the upper extremity. The supraspinatus tendon is frequently torn, either as a direct result of trauma alone or through trauma following attritional changes. When surgical repair is performed, patients all too often regain only limited shoulder motion. One probable reason for lingering stiffness is that active shoulder rehabilitation is delayed for weeks following surgery for fear of disrupting the repair. Recent research aimed at hastening the healing of muscle, ligaments, and tendons through the application of biological agents called growth factors focuses on boosting natural repair processes, thereby facilitating accelerated rehabilitation and return to function. Less long-term stiffness can be expected when earlier active motion is undertaken, with the end result being both an earlier and a more functional return to unrestricted activity. In this article, we propose a new approach to accelerating functional recovery following rotator cuff repair, using exogenous application of biological agents to boost tendon healing.