Pain level was not associated with the severity of atraumatic rotator cuff tears, according to study results published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Researchers included 393 patients with an atraumatic full-thickness rotator cuff tear treated with physical therapy, using baseline pretreatment data to examine the relationship between the severity of rotator cuff disease and pain.

The researchers determined disease severity by evaluating tear size, retraction, superior humeral head migration and rotator cuff muscle atrophy, whereas pain was measured on the 10-point VAS in the patient-reported American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score. Constructing a linear multiple regression model, the researchers used the continuous VAS score as the dependent variable and measures of rotator cuff tear severity and other non-anatomic patient factors as the independent variables.

Sixty-nine percent of patients experienced a tear in their dominant shoulder; 72% of patients experienced a tear in the supraspinatus, 21% experienced a tear in the supraspinatus and infraspinatus — with or without the teres minor — and 7% in the subscapularis.

Eight percent of patients experienced symptoms for less than 1 month, 22% for 1 to 3 months, 20% for 4 to 6 months, 15% for 7 to 12 months and 36% for more than 1 year.

Median baseline VAS pain score was 4.4. The only factors significantly associated with pain upon presentation were increased comorbidities, race, and lower education levels; no rotator cup tear severity measures correlated with pain, according to the researchers (P > .025).

Disclosure: See the study for a full list of the authors’ relevant financial disclosures.