BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF PAIN AND FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH ROTATOR CUFF CONDITIONS

Predicting worse patient-reported outcomes in those with Rotator Cuff (RC) conditions is dependent on examining both biological and psychological impairments. In order to help determine which biopsychological factors are associated with pain and function in patients with RC related conditions and to determine who may be at an increased risk for worse outcomes after Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty (RSA), biopsychological associations between patient demographics, scapular motion, humeral motion, RC tear size, pain associated psychological distress, and function were clinically evaluated to investigate prediction models for pain and function. The central hypothesis is that in a group of patients with symptomatic Cuff Tear Arthropathy (CTA), increased scapular motion and increased psychological distress will predict worse American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon (ASES) pain and function scores one-year after RSA. In 50 patients with RC tears, we used the pain, function, and the total outcome components of the ASES to examine which biopsychological factors are associated with each component of the ASES score. Additionally, 16 patients with CTA were examined to determine which biopsychological factors predicted each final score of the ASES one year after RSA. The principle finding of this study is that a multivariate approach examining clinical biopsychological factors in patients with RC tears is necessary to better understand clinical components leading to ASES pain, function, and total scores