Is the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists' rehabilitation guideline better than standard care when applied to Bankart-operated patients? A controlled study

Objective: To determine whether there is a difference in shoulder-related physical function and quality of life between postoperative rehabilitation patients receiving standard care and those receiving care according to the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists' rehabilitation guideline for arthroscopic anterior capsulolabral repair of the shoulder.

Design: Descriptive studies with comparison between a retrospective and a prospective cohort.

Setting: Municipal outpatient rehabilitation centre.

Patients: A total of 96 arthroscopic Bankart-operated patients.

Interventions: A total of 52 patients received standard care; 44 patients underwent rehabilitation according to the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists' rehabilitation guideline.

Main measurements: Primary outcome variable was Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index. Secondary outcome measures were Patient-Specific Functional Scale, shoulder range of motion, return to work, return to sports, and costs.

Results: There was no significant difference in adjusted mean change scores between the standard care group and the guideline group in the primary outcome variable (Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index total = 574.85 vs. 644.48) or the secondary outcomes (Patient-Specific Functional Scale = 4.6 vs. 5.0; range of motion in forward flexion = 46.49° vs. 49.58°; external rotation in adduction = 28.58° vs. 34.18°; external rotation in abduction = 51.29° vs. 47.55°; weeks until return to work = 5.2 vs. 6.9; weeks until return to sports =13.9 vs. 13.1; costs = number of visits; 18.5 vs. 15.9).

Conclusions: There were no significant between-group differences in shoulder-related physical function and quality of life between the standard care group and the guideline group, following Bankart operations.