The Study
Estrogen and testosterone supplementation improves tendon healing and functional recovery after rotator cuff repair
This study looked at how hormones affected healing in mice after a shoulder injury, but it didn't use a fair test like randomly assigning mice to groups. So we can't say the hormones caused better healing—only that they seemed to be linked to some changes.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave male mice either estrogen or testosterone after fixing a torn shoulder tendon to see if it helped them heal better.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 510 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Better tissue structure and more activity suggest improved recovery, even if the tendon isn't stronger — this could mean less pain or better movement.
- 2Mice given hormones had better-looking tendon tissue and could run more on wheels, but their tendons were not stronger than untreated mice.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Orthopaedic Research®
Year
2023
Authors
R. Tashjian, Jared L. Zitnay, N. Kazmers, S. Veerabhadraiah, Antonio C. Zelada, M. Honeggar, Peter N. Chalmers, Heath B. Henninger, Michael J. Jurynec
Related Content
Claims (4)
Testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormone increase the rate at which tendons, ligaments, and joints repair and recover after injury.
In adult male mice after supraspinatus tendon surgery, treatment with estrogen or testosterone results in improved histological structure of the tendon attachment site at 8 weeks.
In adult male mice after shoulder surgery, testosterone treatment restored their natural running behavior to match that of mice that never had surgery, but did not make the repaired tendon stronger.
In adult male mice following rotator cuff repair, estrogen and testosterone supplementation altered specific gene expression patterns linked to tendon-bone healing, reducing activity in inflammatory signaling pathways.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.