Do patients benefit from a home exercise program with or without functional electromyostimulation initiated 1 year after reverse shoulder arthroplasty? A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Study Summary

34 patients who underwent reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) were randomized to receive a 6 week home exercise program with active functional electromyostimulation or the same home exercise program with an inactive device. The primary outcome of interest was the Constant Score (CS). Secondary outcomes of interest included Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), deltoid strength, abduction range of motion, flexion range of motion, and scapular kinematics. Outcomes were assessed before and after the 6 week rehabilitation program, which was initiated at least one year after surgery. Overall, the results of the study revealed that patients treated with active functional electromyostimulation had significantly greater improvements in CS, SSV, and abduction range of motion compared with controls. These findings suggest that functional electromyostimulation may provide a useful home-based addition to rehabilitation after reverse TSA, even after the expected one-year functional plateau.