Randomized Clinical Trial of Rehabilitation for Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

Launched by PROAXIS THERAPY · Mar 4, 2008

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) is a frequent cause of shoulder pain. Clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of manual therapy have demonstrated improvements in outcomes when manual therapy has been added to a program of therapeutic exercise. However, the these clinical trials (3) have significant limitations and generalizability. Two of the three 3 trials had a small number of subjects (14 \& 22 subjects) and all 3 trials had only short term follow up (\<12 weeks) and used non-validated self report outcome measures. These limitations reduce the confidence with which clinic...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Symptoms associated with athletic activity (35% of patients)
• * Diagnosis of shoulder impingement syndrome as evidence by all 3 criteria:
• • 1. Reproduction of symptoms with impingement test: either Hawkins- Kennedy or Neer Test
• • 2. Pain during active shoulder elevation at or above 60 degrees
• • 3. Weakness of rotator cuff or pain during the Empty Can test or during resisted shoulder external rotation
• • Shoulder disability: 25/100 (0 = no disability)
• • Able to understand written and spoken
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Severe pain; pain is \> 7/10 on NPRS (0 = no pain)
• • Shoulder surgery on affected shoulder
• • Traumatic shoulder dislocation within the past 3 months
• • Previous rehabilitation for this episode of shoulder pain
• • Reproduction of shoulder pain with active or passive cervical motion
• • Systemic inflammatory joint disease
• • Global loss of passive shoulder ROM, indicative of adhesive capsulitis
• * Full-thickness rotator cuff tear, as evidenced by any one of the following:
• • 1. Markedly reduced shoulder external rotation strength
• • 2. Drop arm test
• • 3. External rotation lag sign
• • 4. Lift off test
• • 5. Positive findings on MRI or ultrasonography