Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40959031›Full record

ArticleJSES international2025

Load transmission via the supraspinatus cord prevents muscle fatty degeneration, a biomechanical study.

Omar E Rodriguez-Alejandro, Bethany G Ricci, Christopher C Schmidt, Sean P Cooke, Austin J Cook, Justin G Buce, Joshua D Dworkin, Mark C Miller, Patrick J Smolinski

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in JSES international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Omar E Rodriguez-AlejandroShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Bethany G RicciShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Christopher C SchmidtShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Sean P CookeShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Austin J CookShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Justin G BuceShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Joshua D DworkinShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Mark C MillerShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Patrick J SmolinskiShoulder and Elbow Mechanical Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Location of small- to medium-sized (<30 mm) rotator cuff tears can predict (supraspinatus [SS]) muscle fatty degeneration. It has been hypothesized that SS fatty degeneration occurs because of loss of force transfer by either the coracohumeral ligament (CHL) or the SS cord. The CHL is the anterior insertion of the rotator cable theorized to carry rotator muscle force to the humerus. In this study, we aimed to map the anatomic insertions of the CHL and superior rotator cuff onto the humeral head and then sequentially release the footprint to determine which structures are the most critical for force transmission. Methods: Twenty fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens (average age 69 ± 10 years, 9 males) were tested in a shoulder simulator under physiological conditions at 0° and 30° of shoulder abduction. After cyclic loading, shoulder abduction force and glenohumeral translation were measured for the native condition and after each humeral footprint release. Ten specimens were assigned randomly to a CHL-first footprint release with sequential release of the SS cord, SS strap, and infraspinatus tendons. The other 10 specimens underwent an SS cord-first footprint release, with sequential release of remaining insertions. Following mechanical testing, soft tissue cross-sectional dimensions and footprint widths, lengths, and areas were scanned for three-dimensional modeling and dimensionally quantified. Results: An SS cord-first release decreased abduction force by 10% at 0° of abduction and 22% at 30° ( Conclusion: The SS cord, and not the CHL, is the key structure responsible for the transmission of anterior shoulder abduction force. Relating the clinical tear location with the study's humeral footprint results indicates the SS cord is intact in small- to medium-sized rotator cuff tears without SS fatty degeneration. Repairing the SS cord in small to medium rotator cuff tears could be efficacious in improving abduction strength and preventing SS muscle fatty degeneration.

Indexed as

Abduction forceCoracohumeral ligamentFatty degenerationRotator cuff force transmissionRotator cuff tearsSupraspinatus cord

Identifiers

PMID40959031
PMCPMC12435036

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.