FACT SHEET: AAOS Releases 2026 Shoulder & Elbow Registry Annual Report

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FACT SHEET: AAOS Releases 2026 Shoulder & Elbow Registry Annual Report

Growing Registry data reveal changes in surgical practice and improvements reported by patients

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Sept. 23, 2026)-The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Registry Program released the seventh edition of the Shoulder & Elbow Registry (SER) 2026 Annual Report, adding to a growing body of evidence on how shoulder and elbow care is changing. The report offers new insight into national patterns in shoulder arthroplasty, rotator cuff repair and elbow arthroplasty, giving clinicians a broader view of surgical practices and patient outcomes across the country.

The 2026 report includes 73,478 shoulder and elbow procedures, a 25.3% increase from the 2025 Annual Report. Participation has also expanded to 823 submitting surgeons at 159 facilities across 41 states, extending the Registry's reach and strengthening its ability to capture changes in care over time.

Drawing on procedures submitted from 2015 through 2025, the report provides a longitudinal view of surgical practice and patient outcomes, including trends in implant survivorship and revision procedures.

For the first time, the annual report includes implant component-level data, allowing SER to collect and analyze more detailed information about the implants used in shoulder and elbow procedures. The addition expands the information available to clinicians and industry stakeholders.

Highlights include:

• Shoulder Arthroplasty - Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty now accounts for more than half of shoulder arthroplasties reported to the SER. Among 39,251 procedures, 52.7% were reverse total shoulder arthroplasties, compared with 35.1% that were anatomic total shoulder arthroplasties. Use of the reverse procedure increased progressively with patient age.
• Rotator Cuff Repair - Use of subacromial decompression during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair continues to decline, with the procedure performed in 39.5% of repairs. This trend is consistent with published national data and the 2025 AAOS Clinical Practice Guideline, which does not suggest routine acromioplasty for small- to medium-sized full-thickness rotator cuff tears.
• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) - Patients reported substantial improvements one year after surgery. Mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores increased from 40.0 before surgery to 76.4 at one year, while mean Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) scores increased from 40.0 to 78.9. Among patients with linked preoperative and one-year assessments, 84.0% achieved clinically meaningful improvement on ASES and 81.4% on SANE.

The SER includes representatives from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). To read and download the complete SER 2026 Annual Report, click here. Slides featuring facts and figures from the report are available here.

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About AAOS
With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world's largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level best treat patients daily. AAOS is the source of information on bone and joint conditions, treatments, and related musculoskeletal healthcare issues; and it leads the healthcare discussion on advancing quality.

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