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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2025; 13(32): 109464
Published online Nov 16, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i32.109464
Published online Nov 16, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i32.109464
Digitally assisted vs conventional home-based rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair: A meta-analysis
Maryam Salimi, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, United States
Alireza Keshtkar, Research Center for Noncommunicable Diseases, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom 7414846199, Iran
Seyedarad Mosalamiaghili, Golestan Rheumatology Research Center, Biomedical Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan 4918936316, Golestān, Iran
Arash Sharafatvaziri, Center for Orthopedic Trans-Disciplinary Applied Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1914953616, Iran
Brian T Feeley, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States
Co-first authors: Maryam Salimi and Alireza Keshtkar.
Author contributions: Salimi M contributed to the design and implementation of the study and the writing of the manuscript; Keshtkar A contributed to the statistical analyses; Mosalamiaghili S contributed to drafting the manuscript; Feeley BT and Sharafatvaziri A contributed to the revision of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Brian T Feeley, MD, Full Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, University of California San Francisco, 1500 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States. brian.feeley@ucsf.edu
Received: May 16, 2025
Revised: June 15, 2025
Accepted: October 24, 2025
Published online: November 16, 2025
Processing time: 184 Days and 7.9 Hours
Revised: June 15, 2025
Accepted: October 24, 2025
Published online: November 16, 2025
Processing time: 184 Days and 7.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of digitally assisted vs conventional home-based rehabilitation following rotator cuff repair. Findings from three randomized controlled trials suggest that digital rehabilitation offers comparable outcomes in Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores and range of motion—with a significant improvement in abduction—highlighting its potential as an accessible, patient-friendly alternative to traditional methods. While promising, broader implementation requires addressing barriers like digital literacy, access, and privacy concerns.