Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is a relatively new solution for the patient with osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint with a deficient rotator cuff, or patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis with excessive erosion of the posterior glenoid. Since the approval of RSA in 2003, the utility has increased such that this procedure represented 33% of all shoulder arthroplasties performed in the United States in 2011, and represents greater than 90% in some European countries The RSA prosthesis is effective at providing improved active motion and function due the semi-constrained design--substituting for the centering effect of the rotator cuff and allowing the deltoid to elevate or abduct the arm with fixed-fulcrum kinematics without a functional rotator cuff. Many factors influence the potential for successful outcome following RSA: proper patient selection, surgeon experience level, prosthesis characteristics, surgical technique and approach, and postoperative rehabilitation. Prior researchers have explored the effect of surgical technique, type of prosthesis, and surgery indications on outcome following RSA, however there is no data published on the impact of postoperative rehabilitation following this surgery.

A systematic review of the literature reveals that complications following RSA occur with four times greater incidence than complications following anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Complications following RSA which may be impacted by the exercises associated with physical therapy include instability and acromion stress fractures. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine if complication rates following RSA differ due to surgical approach, type of prosthesis (medialized or lateralized center of rotation), and the indication for the procedure. The authors of this review acknowledge that postoperative rehabilitation can impact the clinical and functional outcome of RSA and complication rate, however did not study this variable due to the heterogeneous approach to rehabilitation for the multi-center study.

Experts in the field of shoulder rehabilitation have published clinical guidelines for rehabilitation following reverse shoulder arthroplasty. One set of published guidelines is based on biomechanical and basic science healing timeframes associated with the tissue attrition following RSA. The authors describe precautions to protect the prosthesis from dislocation and acromial stress fractures, and propose a slow progressive approach to restoring motion and functional strength. The clinical guidelines published by these authors contrast with a very progressive criterion based rehabilitation plan that allows early use of the arm and very little immobilization. Neither of these two proposed rehabilitation plans are associated with clinical trials that track clinical or functional outcome measures or complication rate. A chapter devoted to rehabilitation following RSA in the book "Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty" suggests that physician directed video-based rehabilitation may be just as effective as formal physical therapy. The author points out the need for randomized controlled trials to determine the need for physical therapy following a variety of shoulder surgeries. Clarifying the impact of formal clinic based PT intervention following RSA is important in determining the best plan of care for this population following surgery, while ensuring that there is not an increase in complications associated with the therapy.