Timing of corticosteroid injection within 1 year prior to rotator cuff repair was not associated with increased risk of repair failure

Background: Nonoperative management of atraumatic rotator cuff tears often includes corticosteroid injection (CSI). Concerns persist regarding CSI effect on tendon quality and rotator cuff repair (RCR) outcomes, though how timing of a single CSI influences RCR outcomes is unclear. This study evaluated whether CSI timing within 1 year before RCR affects repair failure, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), range of motion (ROM), and strength, compared to patients undergoing RCR without CSI. We hypothesized that CSI within 3 months of RCR would lead to higher failure rates and worse outcomes. Methods: This retrospective study examined consecutive adult patients undergoing primary RCR from 2015 to 2022 at 1 institution. Inclusion criteria were nonoperative management of an atraumatic rotator cuff tear ≥6 weeks and minimum 1-year follow-up. Exclusion criteria included prior shoulder surgery and traumatic injury. Patients with preoperative CSI were grouped by CSI timing before RCR: