Prevalence and predisposing factors of neuropathic pain in patients with rotator cuff tears

Background: The management of pain in patients with rotator cuff tears can be challenging. Neuropathic pain is reportedly associated with pain occurrence in musculoskeletal diseases. However, to date, few studies have reported on the prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with rotator cuff tears or identified the factors associated with neuropathic pain in a multicenter study. Methods: A total of 391 patients (205 males and 186 females; median age, 67.7 years; range, 27–92 years) with rotator cuff tears were included in this study. The prevalence of neuropathic pain in rotator cuff tears was investigated using the Japanese version of the painDETECT questionnaire for all patients. In addition, factors significantly associated with the occurrence of neuropathic pain were examined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Twenty-eight patients (7.2%) were classified into the neuropathic pain group (score ≥19), 97 (24.8%) into the uncertainty regarding neuropathy group (score 13–18), and 266 (68.0%) into the nociceptive pain group (score ≤12). According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent predictors of neuropathic pain were the VAS score (most severe pain during the past 4 weeks; odds ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–2.09) and UCLA shoulder score (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.65–0.97). Conclusions: Based on the study findings, the prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with rotator cuff tear was 7.2%. It is important to investigate the presence or absence of neuropathic pain when treating patients with painful rotator cuff tears, because neuropathy associated with rotator cuff tears may adversely affect patient outcomes.