Project description:BackgroundRehabilitation is the key to management of patients with subacromial impingement syndrome to prevent disability and loss of function. While point-of-care musculoskeletal ultrasound aids clinical diagnosis of subacromial impingement syndrome, many patients do not demonstrate the classic findings of dynamic supraspinatus tendon impingement beneath the acromion on ultrasound. The objective of this study was to establish the most reliable shoulder ultrasound measurements for subacromial impingement, by evaluating the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of measurements in asymptomatic participants.MethodsEighteen participants (9 women, 9 men, mean ± standard deviation: 34.6 ± 7.9 years of age) underwent bilateral shoulder ultrasound evaluations with measurements for subacromial impingement (acromiohumeral distance, acromion-greater tuberosity distance, supraspinatus tendon, subacromial-subdeltoid bursa, and subacromial-subdeltoid bursal fluid thickness) performed by two sports medicine physicians. Intra-class coefficients were calculated to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of shoulder ultrasound images and measurements.ResultsIntra-rater reliability for acromiohumeral distance (0.76-0.79), supraspinatus tendon (0.91-0.95), subacromial-subdeltoid bursa (0.76-0.84), and subacromial-subdeltoid bursal fluid thickness (0.75-0.81) was found to be good to excellent, whereas inter-rater reliability ranged from poor to moderate.ConclusionsAcromiohumeral distance in neutral position and short axis ultrasound measurements of supraspinatus tendon, subacromial-subdeltoid bursa, and subacromial-subdeltoid bursal fluid thickness in the modified Crass position were the most reliable for subacromial impingement in asymptomatic participants. We recommend validation of these measurements in a symptomatic population to aid diagnosis and direct rehabilitation of patients with suspected subacromial impingement, and to increase point-of-care ultrasound uptake, availability, and training among rehabilitation professionals across health systems.
Project description:IntroductionArthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) is the most commonly performed surgical intervention for shoulder pain, yet evidence on its efficacy is limited. The rationale for the surgery rests on the tenet that symptom relief is achieved through decompression of the rotator cuff tendon passage. The primary objective of this superiority trial is to compare the efficacy of ASD versus diagnostic arthroscopy (DA) in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS), where DA differs only by the lack of subacromial decompression. A third group of supervised progressive exercise therapy (ET) will allow for pragmatic assessment of the relative benefits of surgical versus non-operative treatment strategies.Methods and analysisFinnish Subacromial Impingement Arthroscopy Controlled Trial is an ongoing multicentre, three-group randomised controlled study. We performed two-fold concealed allocation, first by randomising patients to surgical (ASD or DA) or conservative (ET) treatment in 2:1 ratio and then those allocated to surgery further to ASD or DA in 1:1 ratio. Our two primary outcomes are pain at rest and at arm activity, assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS). We will quantify the treatment effect as the difference between the groups in the change in the VAS scales with the associated 95% CI at 24 months. Our secondary outcomes are functional assessment (Constant score and Simple shoulder test), quality of life (15D and SF-36), patient satisfaction, proportions of responders and non-responders, reoperations/treatment conversions, all at 2 years post-randomisation, as well as adverse effects and complications. We recruited a total of 210 patients from three tertiary referral centres. We will conduct the primary analysis on the intention-to-treat basis.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District and duly registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The findings of this study will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.Trial registration numberNCT00428870; Pre-results.
Project description:BACKGROUND: Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is a commonly reported cause of shoulder pain. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to examine whether a difference in electromyographic (EMG) activity of the shoulder complex exists between people with SIS and healthy controls. METHODS: Medline, CINAHL, AMED, EMBASE, and grey literature databases were searched from their inception to November 2008. Inclusion, data extraction and trial quality were assessed in duplicate. RESULTS: Nine studies documented in eleven papers, eight comparing EMG intensity and three comparing EMG onset timing, representing 141 people with SIS and 138 controls were included. Between one and five studies investigated each muscle totalling between 20 and 182 participants. The two highest quality studies of five report a significant increase in EMG intensity in upper trapezius during scaption in subjects with SIS. There was evidence from 2 studies of a delayed activation of lower trapezius in patients with SIS. There was otherwise no evidence of a consistent difference in EMG activity between the shoulders of subjects with painful SIS and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: A difference may exist in EMG activity within some muscles, in particular upper and lower trapezius, between people with SIS and healthy controls. These muscles may be targets for clinical interventions aiding rehabilitation for people with SIS. These differences should be investigated in a larger, high quality survey and the effects of therapeutically targeting these muscles in a randomised controlled trial.
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) by comparing it with diagnostic arthroscopy, a placebo surgical intervention, and with a non-operative alternative, exercise therapy, in a more pragmatic setting.DesignMulticentre, three group, randomised, double blind, sham controlled trial.SettingOrthopaedic departments at three public hospitals in Finland.Participants210 patients with symptoms consistent with shoulder impingement syndrome, enrolled from 1 February 2005 with two year follow-up completed by 25 June 2015.InterventionsASD, diagnostic arthroscopy (placebo control), and exercise therapy.Main outcome measuresShoulder pain at rest and on arm activity (visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 100, with 0 denoting no pain), at 24 months. The threshold for minimal clinically important difference was set at 15.ResultsIn the primary intention to treat analysis (ASD versus diagnostic arthroscopy), no clinically relevant between group differences were seen in the two primary outcomes at 24 months (mean change for ASD 36.0 at rest and 55.4 on activity; for diagnostic arthroscopy 31.4 at rest and 47.5 on activity). The observed mean difference between groups (ASD minus diagnostic arthroscopy) in pain VAS were -4.6 (95% confidence interval -11.3 to 2.1) points (P=0.18) at rest and -9.0 (-18.1 to 0.2) points (P=0.054) on arm activity. No between group differences were seen between the ASD and diagnostic arthroscopy groups in the secondary outcomes or adverse events. In the secondary comparison (ASD versus exercise therapy), statistically significant differences were found in favour of ASD in the two primary outcomes at 24 months in both VAS at rest (-7.5, -14.0 to -1.0, points; P=0.023) and VAS on arm activity (-12.0, -20.9 to -3.2, points; P=0.008), but the mean differences between groups did not exceed the pre-specified minimal clinically important difference. Of note, this ASD versus exercise therapy comparison is not only confounded by lack of blinding but also likely to be biased in favour of ASD owing to the selective removal of patients with likely poor outcome from the ASD group, without comparable exclusions from the exercise therapy group.ConclusionsIn this controlled trial involving patients with a shoulder impingement syndrome, arthroscopic subacromial decompression provided no benefit over diagnostic arthroscopy at 24 months.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT00428870.
Project description:BackgroundImpingement syndrome was shown to be associated with shoulder pain in 44-70% of patients worldwide. It usually occurs due to imbalance and insufficient activation of the rotator cuff (RC) muscles.AimThis study explores the relative effects of handgrip-strengthening exercises on shoulder function, pain, strength, and active range of motion as part of the treatment program for the patients with primary subacromial impingement syndrome.Materials and methodsA total of 58 patients aged 18-50 years with primary subacromial impingement syndrome were randomly enrolled to participate in this single-blind randomized clinical trial. Out of them, only forty patients have eligibly matched the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to one of two groups to undergo a standardized therapeutic program consisting of two sessions a week for 8 weeks. The control group prescribed ultrasound therapy, ice, and stretching exercises, while the experimental group followed the same program with the addition of handgrip-strengthening exercises (HGSE). Both patients of conventional therapy (control) and handgrip-strengthening exercises (experimental group) were advised to adhere also to stretching and HGSE exercises once a day at home for eight weeks. The outcomes were the shoulder function, pain intensity, muscle strength, and active range of motion of the shoulder joint.ResultsPatients treated with conventional interventions plus handgrip-strengthening exercises showed the significant improvement over time in shoulder pain and function, strength of rotator cuff muscles, and pain-free range of motion forward flexion, abduction, and external and internal rotation through eight weeks in the experimental group compared to control patient group treated with conventional interventions. In addition, patients of both control and experimental groups showed no significant difference in the adherence to respective home-based stretching and HGSE exercises once a day at home for eight weeks.ConclusionsAdding handgrip-strengthening exercises to conventional intervention increases the efficacy of treatment for patients with primary subacromial impingement syndrome in terms of shoulder function, pain, muscle strength, and active range of motion.
Project description:BackgroundShoulder impingement syndrome is one of the main causes of shoulder disability of working-class individuals. Currently, dynamic sonography of the shoulder is the modality of choice for the evaluation of shoulder impingement syndrome. The ratio of subacromial contents (SAC) and subacromial space (SAS) in neutral arm position could be used as a diagnostic parameter for the subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS), especially in patients who have difficulties in the elevation of their shoulders due to pain. To use the SAC to SAS ratio as a sonographic criterion for the diagnosis of SIS.MethodsSAC and SAS of 772 shoulders were vertically measured in coronal view with linear transducer 7-14MHz of Toshiba Xario Prime ultrasound unit, while the patient arm was kept in the neutral position. The ratio of both the measurements was calculated, to be used as a diagnostic parameter of the SIS.ResultsThe mean SAS was 10.79 ± 1.94 mm and SAC was 7.65 ± 1.43 mm. SAC-to-SAS ratio for normal shoulders was a focused value with narrow standard deviation (0.66 ± 0.03). However, shoulder impingement is confirmed by any value falls out of the range of ratio for normal shoulders. Area under the curve at 95% confidence interval was 96%, while the sensitivity at 95% confidence interval was 99.25% (97.83%-99.85%), and specificity was 80.86% (76.48%-84.74%).ConclusionSAC-to-SAS ratio in neutral arm position is a relatively more accurate sonographic technique for the diagnosis of SIS.
Project description:IntroductionCorticosteroid injections (CSI) are a recommended and often-used first-line intervention for shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) in primary care and orthopaedic settings. Manual physical therapy (MPT) offers a non-invasive approach with negligible risk for managing SIS. There is limited evidence to suggest significant long-term improvements in pain, strength and disability with the use of MPT, and there are conflicting reports from systematic reviews that question the long-term efficacy of CSI. Specifically, the primary objective is to compare the effect of CSI and MPT on pain and disability in subjects with SIS at 12 months.DesignThis pragmatic randomised clinical trial will be a mixed-model 2×5 factorial design. The independent variables are treatment (MPT and CSI) and time with five levels from baseline to 1 year. The primary dependent variable is the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, and the secondary outcome measures are the Global Rating of Change and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. For each ANOVA, the hypothesis of interest will be the two-way group-by-time interaction.Methods and analysisThe authors plan to recruit 104 participants meeting established impingement criteria. Following examination and enrollment, eligible participants will be randomly allocated to receive a pragmatic approach of either CSI or MPT. The MPT intervention will consist of six sessions, and the CSI intervention will consist of one to three sessions. All subjects will continue to receive usual care. Subjects will be followed for 12 months.Dissemination and ethicsThe protocol was approved by the Madigan Army Medical Center Institutional Review Board. The results may have an impact on clinical practice guidelines. This study was funded in part by the Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Products Grant through the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. Trial Registration http://clinicaltrials.gov/ NCT01190891.
Project description:ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate whether the risk of surgery for subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) increases with the number of combined occupational mechanical exposures compared with single exposure.MethodsWe reanalyzed data from a register-based cohort study of the entire Danish working population (N=2 374 403) with 14 118 events of surgery for SIS (2003-2008). Exposure information in 10-year windows was obtained by combining occupational codes with a job exposure matrix. For single and combined mechanical exposures, we created three exposure variables of the number of years with specific exposure intensities with or without co-existing mechanical exposures. We used logistic regression as survival analysis.ResultsWe found exposure-response relations for duration and intensity of each single mechanical exposure except for repetition. The single effect of arm elevation >90º reached a maximum adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) of 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-2.0], which increased to 1.8 (95% CI 1.5-2.0), 2.0 (95% CI 1.9-2.2), and 2.2 (95% CI 2.0-2.5) when combined with repetition, force, and both. When combining repetition with arm elevation >90º, force, and both, ORadj increased from 1.5 (95% CI 1.3-1.8) to 2.1 (95% CI 1.8-2.4), 2.5 (95% CI 2.4-2.9), and 2.7 (95% CI 2.4-3.0). For force, ORadj increased from 2.5 (95% CI 2.1-2.9) to 2.6 (95% CI 2.3-2.8), 2.8 (95% CI 2.4-3.2), and 3.0 (95% CI 2.6-3.4).ConclusionWe found an increased risk of surgery for SIS with the number of combined exposures; the risk was especially pronounced when the combined exposures included force.
Project description:BackgroundPlatelet-derived lyophilized growth factors (L-GFs) use a standardized number of allogenic pathogen-free platelets instead of autologous platelets used in PRP as a source of growth factors. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of L-GF injection versus placebo in subacromial impingement (SIS) treatment.MethodsThe current randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study included sixty patients (40 females and 20 males, aged between 24 and 75 years) diagnosed with SIS (both clinically and sonographically). Patients were randomly assigned to two equal groups. Under ultrasound guidance, group 1 received subacromial saline injection, and group 2 received L-GF injection. Clinical examination, pain visual analogue scale (VAS), shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) and shoulder ultrasound were performed before and at the 8th week after injection.ResultsFollow-up assessment showed statistically significant improvement in the L-GF group regarding active flexion, active and passive internal rotation and extension, SPADI-disability scale, VAS and thickness of the supraspinatus tendon by US. Regression analysis showed that group 1 was approximately 30 times more likely than the L-GF group to experience painful arc at follow-up. Both groups showed statistically significant improvement in SPADI-pain scale and SPADI-total, flexion and abduction (still the mean value of abduction was significantly higher in the L-GF group).ConclusionsL-GF injection resulted in clinically significant reductions in pain and functional disability outcomes in patients with SIS. An objective significant reduction in the thickness of the supraspinatus tendon, measured by ultrasound, in the L-GF group hopefully encourages proper healing and functioning in SIS.Trial registrationThe identification number is NCT04330027, date of first registration (01/04/2020). Unique on 21/11/2019, Protocol ID: 0106178.