Functional Disability in Patients with Rotator Cuff Disease: Outcomes, Measures, and Recommendations for Clinical Practice

Rotator cuff disease is a prevalent musculoskeletal disease that results in pain and functional disability. Different outcome measures should be used to evaluate functional status in patients with rotator cuff disease, including the assessments of pain intensity, shoulder range of motion and muscle strength, patients’ perspectives about their functional status, and physical performance. Various instruments can be used to assess each outcome measure, but their selection should consider certain parameters, taking into account the target population. The results of these outcome measures should be comprehensively considered and interpreted. In this manner, clinicians can obtain detailed information about the patient’s functional status, enabling them to determine the optimal treatment protocol.