#48 Rotator Cuff Surgery: What Makes it Worthwhile?

In this solo episode of The Shoulder Physio Podcast, Dr Jared Powell explores a deceptively simple question: How much benefit does rotator cuff surgery need to provide to be considered worthwhile? 

Jared explores a new 2025 study by Harrison Hansford and colleagues, which uses a clever benefit–harm trade-off approach to quantify what patients actually want from surgery.

This episode challenges the way we interpret research, the limits of "statistical significance," and the need for truly patient-centred decision-making. If you're still recommending surgery after failed physio without asking what makes it worthwhile to the person in front of you, this one’s for you.

Key topics include:

• The concept of the smallest worthwhile effect

• Is “does it work?” the wrong question?

• Shared decision-making and expectation alignment

• How the evidence stacks up (or doesn’t)

• Why patient-defined outcomes matter more than p-values

Check out the Shoulder Physio Online Course here

Connect with Jared:

Jared on Instagram: @‌shoulder_physio

Jared on X: @‌jaredpowell12

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