With advanced surgical techniques, instrumentation, and implants, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair has become increasingly popular. As the techniques continue to evolve, so do the methods by which the repairs are tested. Cyclic loading has shown to better replicate postoperative motion after cuff repair. Recently, cyclic loading with dynamic external rotation has been studied for large rotator cuff repairs. Our study applies this concept to small, isolated supraspinatus tears, comparing single- vs double-row repair techniques. A 1.5-cm rotator cuff tear was created in cadaveric specimens and repaired with single-and double-row repair techniques. With cyclic loading and dynamic external rotation, gap formation and ultimate pullout strength were determined and found to be equivalent. This study demonstrates no significant difference in single- vs double-row repairs for small, isolated supraspinatus tears when tested with cyclic loading and dynamic external rotation.
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