Investigation of the effect of core stabilisation exercises on body functions, activity, and participation in patients with rotator cuff tear

This study was planned to investigate the effect of core stabilization (CS) exercises applied in addition to conservative treatment (CT) on body functions, activity, and participation levels of patients with rotator cuff tear. The study included 36 patients with rotator cuff tear. One group (n=18, mean age=55.33±10.05 years) received only CT while the other group (n=18, mean age=54.27±8.59 years) received CT+CS. The intervention was completed in a total of 6 weeks, 3 days/a week. The McGill Pain Questionnaire Short Form (McGill-SF), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Laser-Pointer Assisted Angle Reproduction Test (LP-ART) were used to evaluate the body functions of the patients. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire (DASH), Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) were used to evaluate the activity and participation levels. All measuring tools were repeated before and after the intervention. The results of the within-group analysis showed that the treatment program applied in both groups was effective on pain (McGill-SF), proprioception (LP-ART flexion and abduction), shoulder functionality (PSFS and DASH) and quality of life (WORC) parameters (p<0.05). Between-group comparisons showed that more effective results were obtained on pain, patient-specific shoulder functionality, and quality of life in the CT+CS group (p<0.05). When the effectiveness comparison was made according to the results obtained from the study, the between-group comparison results showed that more effective results were obtained on pain, patient-specific shoulder functionality, and quality of life in the CT + CS group, and therefore there was a more effective intervention gain (p < 0.05). According to the results, it is thought that it would be beneficial to include CS exercises in shoulder intervention.