EXERCISE > SURGERY FOR ROTATOR CUFF INJURY

Conservative management (exercise-based rehab) is always preferred to surgery when it comes to rotator cuff tendinopathy…

Physiotherapy has been considered the first-line treatment for shoulder pain for some time now, and published research further confirms this.

A telling trial, which was conducted and followed-up over 10 years, found that there was no benefit at all in opting for surgery over conservative rehab (Ketola et al., 2017).

“Even though the patients who underwent operative treatment had a stronger belief in recovery, which is likely to be surgical and the effect of placebo, the exercise group obtained similar results.”

Exercise is medicine. In many cases – when prescribed correctly – it is just as powerful (if not more so) than the tools of a surgeon.

Chris Bryceson

B. Health Sciences (Physio), APAM

CB Physiotherapy