The role of isokinetic muscle strength training in rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair

Abstract

Objective To explore the effect of isokinetic strength training on post-operative rehabilitation of rotator cuff injury after arthroscopy. Methods Forty patients who had received arthroscopic repair of a rotator cuff tear no less than 3 months previously and who had normal joint movement were selected and randomly divided into a routine training group (the control group) and an isokinetic strength training group (the experimental group), each of 20. Both groups did internal and external rotation strength training with Thera-Band elastic bands, 10-20 times/session, 3 sessions/day. The experimental group additionally underwent isokinetic strength training of the shoulder for 15-20 minutes twice a week. Isokinetic strength tests were performed after 3 and 6 months at test speeds of 60°/s and 180°/s. The evaluation indexes included the internal and external rotation peak torque, peak TQ/BW, the deficit of the affected shoulder joint, the peak torque difference and peak TQ/BW difference before and after training. Results Both groups had improved significantly after the treatment, but the improvement in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group, on average. Conclusion Isokinetic muscle strength training is helpful to recover strength after arthroscopic repair of a rotator cuff injury, especially the rapid external rotation muscle strength. It is worthy of clinical application. Key words: Rotator cuff injury; Isokinetic training; Rehabilitation