However, because we were using an intent-totreat
model for this cohort, we did not believe that
randomizing at-risk patients to a conservative protocol
would be appropriate. We also believed that our historical
controls represented a reasonable standard for
comparison because they were treated by the same
surgeon (S.S.B.) in a similar fashion of arthroscopic
rotator cuff repair and received the same conservative
protocol we used in the low-risk group for this study