Obesity negatively affects outcomes following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair at four-year follow-up.

Introduction: The purpose is to evaluate the influence of obesity (BMI 30 to 39.9 kg/m²⁾ on surgical outcomes following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery.

Materials and methods: A retrospective review was performed examining the outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in both a normal weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m²) and an obese (BMI 30 to 39.9 kg/m²) patient population, specifically looking at functional outcomes and range of motion. Secondary variables analyzed were surgical time, complications, and medical comorbidities.

Results: 52 normal weight patients (mean BMI 23.7 ± 2.1) and 59 obese patients (mean BMI 34.0 ± 2.4) were included. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in VAS, SANE and ASES scores (P < 0.0001), however there were significantly better outcomes in the normal weight group in VAS (0.56 ± 0.96 vs 1.42 ± 2.22; P = 0.0108), ASES (96.1 ± 5.8 vs 90.6 ± 15.6; P = 0.0192), and internal rotation (9.2 ± 3.0 vs 10.9 ± 2.3; P = 0.0010). Additionally, the obese cohort had more complications, longer surgical times, and a greater comorbid background.

Conclusions: Obesity is associated with significantly more comorbid conditions, surgical complications, longer surgical time, and worse patient reported outcomes than normal weight patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.