I do not put an age limit on rotator cuff surgery.
Some surgeons make a mistake when they say, “You’re over this age, and if you look at the data, our healing rates are this.” Looking deeper into those studies, the right age is a factor. There’s no question that the older you are, the lower your healing rates. However, other factors include the tear’s size, the muscle quality, and many other medical factors with the patient.
That’s just one factor, but I have successfully fixed many rotator cuff tears. Patients in their 80s, or mid-80s— just because you’re in a certain age group doesn’t mean you cannot have rotator cuff repair surgery. There is a higher likelihood within that age group that things are so worn out that they can’t be fixed, but that’s an individual type. It’s not like everybody gets the same thing. It’s different for every patient.
Cuff surgery has no age restrictions, and this has been published. I don’t restrict it in my practice.
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