Rotator Cuff Repair With Magnesium Pin

Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common conditions encountered in orthopaedic practice leading to significant shoulder pain and functional deficit. The incidence of rotator cuff tears increases with age and previous trauma. Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) is a surgical procedure to reattach the torn edge of the tendon to the underlying bone, which can improve the clinical symptoms of patients. However, the retear rate after arthroscopic repair is as high as 94% (1). The high re-tear rate following cuff repair is due to the lack of a strong tendon to bone integration. The natural healing responses after surgical reattachment are too weak to regenerate strong tendon insertion, primarily owing to insufficient osteogenesis. To enhance the bone-tendon interface (BTI) healing, the investigators have developed a magnesium pin that can be applied to the cuff repair site to improve the BTI healing.This study is a single-center, randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of using magnesium pin as a suture to augment rotator cuff repair. The intervention groups receives treated using magnesium pin additional to the suture anchor used routinely in clinical practice, whereas the control group receives routine suture anchor for the treatment-as-usual (TAU). The investigators hypothesize the magnesium pin applied in arthroscopic rotator cuff tears can promote BTI healing and reduce the cumulative retear rate with better functional outcomes.