Editorial Commentary: Too Good to Be True? Preclinical Promise With Healthy Skepticism Toward Biophysical Stimulation for Rotator Cuff Healing.

Abstract

Tendon-bone healing remains a central biologic challenge in rotator cuff repair, driving interest in noninvasive strategies to augment the healing environment. This commentary examines a recent preclinical study evaluating combined low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and mild hyperthermia, which reports uniformly favorable effects across in vitro assays and in vivo histologic analyses, imaging, and biomechanical testing. While the biologic rationale for biophysical stimulation is compelling and supported by prior animal studies, the consistency and minimal variability of the reported results warrant careful interpretation. Taken in context, these findings add to a growing body of preclinical evidence suggesting that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound-based biophysical stimulation may favorably modulate tendon-bone healing, while underscoring the importance of reproducibility and measured progression toward human investigation of these low-risk, noninvasive modalities.