Nutrition to Optimize Recovery

Banner Image

Nutrition,tendon healing, and orthopedic recovery evidence set

Not medical advice: This information is for education only and is not a diagnosis or treatment plan. Nutrition needs vary by medical history, kidney/liver function, diabetes, medications, allergies, surgery type, and surgeon instructions. Patients should ask their surgeon, primary care clinician, pharmacist, or registered dietitian before starting supplements or changing perioperative nutrition, especially before surgery.

Who it studied

143 patients age 65 or older who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and had 2-year postoperative MRI evaluation.

What they did

A single-center retrospective prognostic study used the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), calculated from albumin and body size, to evaluate whether preoperative nutrition status was associated with healed vs retear status after repair.

What they found

  • The overall retear rate was 20.3%
  • Albumin and GNRI were lower in the retear group than the healed group.
  • Lower GNRI status and larger medial-lateral tear size were independent risk factors for retear; GNRI <103 was a higher-risk threshold in their analysis.

What it means

For older rotator cuff repair
patients, nutrition status may be a meaningful, modifiable risk marker. GNRI is not a treatment by itself, but it can help identify patients who may benefit from preoperative nutrition review and optimization.

Link: PubMed abstract

ShoulderBuzz
Evidence Card 1 — Preoperative nutrition and retear risk after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (Shitara et al., 2024)

Who it studied:

143 patients age 65 or older who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and had 2-year postoperative MRI evaluation.

What they did:

A single-center retrospective prognostic study used the Geriatric Nutritional
Risk Index (GNRI), calculated from albumin and body size, to evaluate whether preoperative nutrition status was associated with healed vs retear status after repair.

What they found:
  • The overall retear rate was 20.3%.
  • Albumin and GNRI were lower in the retear group than the healed group.
  • Lower GNRI status and larger medial-lateral tear size were independent risk factors for retear; GNRI <103 was a higher-risk threshold in their analysis.
What it means:

For older rotator cuff repair patients, nutrition status may be a meaningful, modifiable risk marker. GNRI is not a treatment by itself, but it can help identify patients who may benefit from preoperative nutrition review and optimization.

Link: PubMedabstract