Rotator cuff tears are common, and surgeons have several well-established treatment options. One option available to patients in North Alabama is a collagen patch called the REGENETEN Bioinductive Implant, which is designed to support the tendon’s own healing. Here is how it works, what the procedure involves, and what recovery typically looks like.
Why rotator cuff tears are so common
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that keeps the top of your upper arm bone seated in the shoulder socket. Tears commonly cause shoulder pain and weakness, and they can affect everyday tasks like reaching, lifting, and sleeping.
Tears usually come from a mix of age-related wear, injury, and repetitive overhead activity. They range from partial-thickness tears, where the tendon is damaged but not torn through, to full-thickness tears, where it is torn completely across.
Standard repair, which uses sutures and anchors to secure the tendon back to the bone, is a proven treatment that works well for many patients. Options like REGENETEN add a biological element, aiming to support tendon healing alongside a stitched repair or, for some partial tears, in place of one.
What REGENETEN is
REGENETEN is a small collagen patch, about the size of a postage stamp, that a surgeon attaches to the surface of your rotator cuff tendon. It is described as a scaffold that helps your tendon grow new tissue.
- Material: purified type I collagen, a protein already found in tendons, skin, and bone, derived from bovine (cow) tendon.
- Absorbable: you do not need it removed. Your body absorbs the collagen, and the new tissue stays.
It is used in two ways. For partial-thickness tears, it is most often used on its own, with no stitched repair. For full-thickness tears, surgeons place it over a standard suture-and-anchor repair to help the tendons heal, which they call augmentation.
How the REGENETEN rotator cuff patch works
“Bioinductive” means the implant encourages your body to build new tissue rather than just holding the old tissue together. The porous collagen sheet sits on the tendon, and your own cells move in and lay down new, tendon-like tissue.
A typical timeline is:
- Surgery: the surgeon places the patch on the tendon.
- 0 to 3 months: new tendon-like tissue forms as the collagen is gradually absorbed.
- About 6 months: the implant is replaced by new tendon-like tissue.
The new tissue adds to the tendon’s thickness, which may reduce strain as it heals and matures. Timelines are typical, not guaranteed, and vary from patient to patient.
What the procedure involves
The implant is placed arthroscopically, meaning through a few small incisions with a camera and thin instruments rather than one large opening. The surgeon positions the patch over the injured tendon and secures it with small absorbable staples.
What recovery typically looks like
Recovery after rotator cuff surgery is gradual, and physical therapy is central. Most patients wear a sling for the first several weeks, then work with a therapist on motion, then strength, before returning to full activity. Full recovery commonly takes several months to a year or more, and following your therapy plan closely is one of the best ways to protect your result.
Your plan depends on tear size, the type of repair, tissue quality, and your age, so your surgeon’s protocol always comes first. When REGENETEN is used alone for a partial-thickness tear, rehab can be faster than after a stitched repair. When it is added to a full-thickness repair, your plan is usually driven by the repair underneath.
REGENETEN is a promising option for helping tendons heal, but it is just one tool among several, and not every tear or every patient is a good fit. If you have shoulder pain or have been told you have a rotator cuff tear, schedule an appointment with one of our orthopaedic surgeons to see whether the REGENETEN Implant is right for your rotator cuff tear.
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Orthopaedic Specialties at The Orthopaedic Center
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for medical evaluation. Talk to your physician to determine if you are a candidate.