Fig. 2.

Predictors of early surgery. This graph reflects the characteristics of patients who underwent surgery within 6 months of enrollment. The strength of each predictor is reflected by its position on the x axis. Predictors to the right of the vertical red line were significant (p < 0.05). Significant predictors of early surgery include smoking, Workers’ Compensation status, the amount of tear retraction (see Figure 4), activity level, and patient expectations. The strongest predictor in this group, by far, was the patient’s expectations regarding the effectiveness of physical therapy.