Body fat and rotator cuff tear sizes
The avascular zone in the tendons of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus has shown to be prone to tearing. Systemic conditions of the cardiorespiratory system (such as hypertension, atherosclerosis and elevated cholesterol levels ), diabetes and metabolic syndrome – all of which are associated with adiposity – might worsen this condition.
In this study, 381 cases that had had an arthroscopic repair of a full-thickness rotator cuff tear and 220 controls underwent anthropometric measurements consisting of body weight and height (in order to determine BMI) and estimation of the percentage of body fat (%BF) by skinfold measurements. Participants were divided into two groups according to BMI: individuals with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and those with a BMI < 25 kg/m2.
In the group with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, the percentage of individuals with a rotator cuff tear was significantly higher than among individuals with a BMI < 25 kg/m2. On top of that, patients who sustained a massive rotator cuff tear had a significantly greater BMI and %BF than patients with small tears. No gender differences were present.
> From: Gumina et al., J Shoulder Elbow Surg 23 (2015) 1669-1674. All rights reserved to the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Click here for the Pubmed summary.
