Does hand dominance influence clinical outcomes and implant survival in shoulder arthroplasty?

Background: Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is a successful treatment method for patients with end-stage glenohumeral osteoarthritis and different factors influencing the clinical outcome have been determined. However, the role of hand dominance on the postoperative clinical results and implant survival is not well analyzed. Hypothesis: Hand Dominance does not influence the outcome after TSA. Patients and methods: In this single center cohort study, 138 consecutive patients with primary Osteoarthritis (OA) were treated with a TSA and evaluated with a mean follow-up of 45 months (range 24-158 months). 62.32 % (86 patients) underwent TSA on the dominant side (DOM group) and 37.68 % (52 patients) on their non-dominant side (NON-DOM group). For clinical evaluation the adjusted Constant-Murley (CS) score, pain (Numeric analog scale (NAS)), subjective satisfaction and range of motion (ROM) were recorded. Furthermore, survivorship analysis was performed for the endpoint revision for any reason. Results: Both dominant (DOM) and non-dominant (NON-DOM) groups demonstrated significant improvement in all clinical outcomes from pre-to postoperative (p < 0.0001) with no between-group differences (p > 0.05). Implant survival was 98.8 % at 123 months (DOM) and 90 % at 158 months (NON-DOM) (p = 0.89). Conclusion: Hand dominance did not influence postoperative outcomes, survivorship, or age at time of surgery. Patients can expect excellent results after TSA regardless of their predominant dexterity.