These authors investigated the associations of patient and disease-specific factors with preoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in 788 patients undergoing primary shoulder arthroplasty.
Worse mental health status as assessed by VR-12 MCS was associated with lower Penn Scores. Patients with intact or small/medium rotator cuff tears had more pain than patients with a large/massive superior-posterior rotator cuff tear. Female sex, fewer years of education and preoperative opioid use were associated with lower preoperative Penn Scores.
Glenoid bone loss was not associated with preoperative Penn Scores.
Comment: This article serves to remind us that the symptoms manifested by patients with shoulder arthritis are less related to characteristics of the shoulder (extent of bony pathology) and more related to characteristics of the patient (mental health status, sex, education, opined use).
