RESEARCH
INSPACE IS A GAME CHANGER
Clinical Trial Evaluates Unique, Less Invasive, Treatment Option for Advanced Rotator Cuff Tears By Brian Sodoma
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otator cuff tears are ly together on their own to a common shoulder offer improved comfort and problem, but they motion again. also present to phy“When we heard this was sicians with a wide range coming to the U.S., we wantof severity. Rotator cuff ed to be an early adopter. Inrepair enjoys a high success Space has the potential to fill rate for younger adults a gap in care, and it’s withDr. Marc Jacofsky with smaller tears. On the out a doubt the least invasive other hand, due to poorer option with a shorter path to tissue quality and slower healing, older recovery,” Dr. Amini added. patients with larger tears may not enjoy The procedure has been performed the same benefits. A shoulder replacemore than 30,000 times in Europe over ment has typically been the alternative the last decade, Dr. Amini noted. It has if a repair is unlikely to succeed. been used in the United States since the But that could all change soon for summer of 2021, and surgeons at The many active older adults. The CORE CORE Institute were the first in Arizona, Institute and MORE Foundation have and among the first few in the country, partnered to investigate an innovative to use it. procedure called InSpace, which could bring promise as a new option for many who need it.
EVALUATING REHABILITATION
Accelerating recovery is indeed the greatest potential benefit of InSpace. The shoulder can be used within two weeks, whereas traditional replacement or repair usually requires the arm to stay in a sling for six to 12 weeks, Dr. Amini emphasized. With the help of the MORE Foundation, the study will monitor data from 150 patients 65 years or older enrolled across eight sites around the U.S., one of them being The CORE Institute. Two rapid rehabilitation programs will be analyzed for quality of outcomes: one is guided by a physical therapist, the second is a homebased protocol, both with the same exercises and recovery timeline.
RESTORING ROTATOR CUFF FUNCTION
A massive rotator cuff tear, which involves at least two or more of the four tendons in the region, is the most severe tear, and a particular problem for a wide range of older adults, explained Dr. Michael Amini, The CORE Institute’s chief surgeon in its Shoulder & Sports Division and Principal Investigator for the study. Developed by Stryker Sports Medicine, InSpace places a saline-filled balloon above the shoulder bone to serve much like a “pillow” in place of the rotator cuff. It reduces pain and improves function by limiting unwanted movement of the shoulder and preventing impingement. The balloon dissolves in about a year, but with less stress on the muscles, they become stronger and operate efficient-
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