Half of rotator cuff repair patients have nutritional risk factors measured by the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index. Poor nutrition predicts retear risk better than tear size or age, with a 400-600% higher risk as scores decline. Protein intake before and after surgery can improve the score and reduce retear risk.
about half of individuals have some sort of nutritional risk factor when they undergo rotator cuff repair. Now that's really important because many people think that they are in good health and they eat well, quote unquote. But when you actually critically look at what's called a GNRI, which is a function of albumin reflective of protein in your body and body weight, it turns about half of people are at risk. And when they looked at actually things like tear size and age, although many surgeons just focus on those as well as fatty infiltration, Actually, the biggest risk factor in the study for retear was nutrition. There was a 400 to 600% increased risk of retear as a GNRI decreased. Now GNRI is modifiable, which means that if high protein is consumed before and after surgery, you can alter that albumin level. So that's why I say it's really in somebody's control.
