OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of a 12-week home-based digitally assisted rehabilitation program after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). against conventional home-based rehabilitation. DESIGN: The digital therapy (DT) group performed independent technology-assisted sessions complemented with 13 face-to-face sessions, and the conventional therapy (CT) group had conventional face-to-face physical therapy (30 sessions). Primary outcome was functional change between baseline and 12 weeks, measured through the Constant-Murley (CM) score. Secondary outcomes were the change in the QuickDASH scale and shoulder range of motion. RESULTS: Fifty participants enrolled; forty-one completed the 12-week program (23 DT group versus 18 CT group) and thirty-two (15 versus 17) were available for the 12-months follow-up assessment. No differences were found between groups regarding study endpoints at the end of the 12-week program. However, follow-up results revealed the superiority of the DT group for QuickDASH (p = 0.043), as well as an interaction between time and group in the CM score (p = 0.047) in favor of the DT group. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that digital therapeutics can be used to achieve similar, if not superior, short and long-term outcomes as conventional approaches after ARCR, while being far less human resource intensive than conventional care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

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