Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jul 6, 2024; 12(19): 3767-3775
Published online Jul 6, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i19.3767
Application of multidisciplinary team-based integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in rotator cuff injury patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery
Di-Ping Cao, Lei Yin, Yi-Fei Wang, Bing-Li Liu
Di-Ping Cao, Lei Yin, Yi-Fei Wang, Bing-Li Liu, Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200137, China
Co-first authors: Di-Ping Cao and Lei Yin.
Author contributions: Cao DP and Yin L designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Cao DP, Yin L, Wang YF and Liu BL contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Cao DP and Yin L conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by General Project of Health and Family Planning Scientific Research of Pudong New Area Health Commission: Evaluation of the Clinical Effectiveness of the Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Clinical Program for Accelerating Postoperative Recovery of Patients with Rotator cuff Injury under the Multidisciplinary Team Mode, No. PW2021A-66; and Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Key Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine; Peak Discipline of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Orthopedics and Traumatology Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine), Shanghai Pudong New Area Health Commission, No. YC-2023-0601.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bing-Li Liu, MD, Chief Physician, Director, Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 358 Datong Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200137, China. gukelaoliu@126.com
Received: March 10, 2024
Revised: April 27, 2024
Accepted: May 14, 2024
Published online: July 6, 2024
Processing time: 110 Days and 21.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is a common surgical treatment for rotator cuff injuries (RCIs). Although this procedure has certain clinical advantages, it requires rehabilitation management interventions to ensure therapeutic efficacy.

AIM

To investigate the effect of integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine (TCM-WM) under the multidisciplinary team (MDT) model on the postoperative recovery of patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for RCIs.

METHODS

This study enrolled 100 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair for RCIs at the Seventh People’s Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between June 2021 and May 2024. They were divided into a control group (n = 48) that received routine rehabilitation treatment and an experimental group (n = 52) that received TCM-WM under the MDT model (e.g., acupuncture, TCM traumatology and orthopedics, and rehabilitation). The results of the Constant–Murley Shoulder Score (CMS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), muscular strength evaluation, and shoulder range of motion (ROM) assessments were analyzed.

RESULTS

After treatment, the experimental group showed significantly higher CMS scores in terms of pain, functional activity, shoulder joint mobility, and muscular strength than the baseline and those of the control group. The experimental group also exhibited significantly lower VAS and SPADI scores than the baseline and those of the control group. In addition, the experimental group showed significantly enhanced muscular strength (forward flexor and external and internal rotator muscles) and shoulder ROM (forward flexion, abduction, and lateral abduction) after treatment compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION

TCM-WM under the MDT model improved shoulder joint function, relieved postoperative pain, promoted postoperative functional recovery, and facilitated the recovery of muscular strength and shoulder ROM in patients with RCIs who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Keywords: Multidisciplinary team model; Integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; Rotator cuff injury; Arthroscopy; Arthroscopic surgery

Core Tip: This study explored the impact of integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine (TCM-WM) on the recovery of 100 patients with rotator cuff injuries (RCIs) who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The control group underwent routine rehabilitation treatment, whereas the experimental group underwent TCM-WM under the multidisciplinary team model, including acupuncture and moxibustion, TCM traumatology and orthopedics, and rehabilitation. We confirmed that TCM–WM has significant clinical advantages in accelerating the recovery of patients with RCIs after arthroscopic surgery, particularly in improving shoulder joint function, pain, functional impairment, muscle strength, and shoulder joint range of motion. The results indicate the potential of TCM–WM as an alternative therapeutic option for patients with RCIs.