Rehabilitation nach Rotatorenmanschettenrekonstruktion – Umsetzung im deutschen Gesundheitswesen

Adequate postoperative therapy is at least as important as the quality of the surgery itself. In addition to the surgeon’s experience, the surgical entry point into the patient’s body, and the surgical techniques including selection of materials, the success of any surgery also depends on the type and extent of postoperative treatment and rehabilitation. Thus, after surgical rotator cuff repair, the prospects for restoration of full functionality of an injured shoulder depends to a large extent on good follow-up treatment, but there are also risks associated with inadequate postoperative therapy of the tendon. Recent consensus-building of the German Society of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (DVSE) has established cornerstones for rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair. Each cornerstone has been calibrated and thus prioritized according to the levels of evidence found. In addition to these evidence-based medical findings, the issue of limited resources has become a key issue in modern health care. Recommendations for follow-up treatments will only achieve substantial acceptance if they can be properly implemented using the resources available. The aim of this work is therefore to show how the recommendations for follow-up treatments after rotator cuff repair developed by the current consensus of the DVSE can be practically implemented in the German healthcare network.