Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with painful stiff shoulder by treatment received. Values are numbers (percentages) unless indicated otherwise
| Patients treated with corticosteroid injection (n=53) | Patients treated with physiotherapy (n=56) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 57.3 (10.2) | 60.2 (10.7) |
| Women | 25 (47) | 33 (59) |
| Concomitant neck pain | 24 (45) | 32 (57) |
| Previous episodes of shoulder pain | 23 (43) | 17 (30) |
| Duration of current episode (months): | ||
| <1 | 7 (13) | 6 (11) |
| ⩾1-3 | 21 (40) | 26 (46) |
| >3-6 | 13 (24) | 9 (16) |
| >6-12 | 8 (15) | 9 (16) |
| >12 | 4 (8) | 6 (11) |
| Acute onset | 9 (17) | 15 (27) |
| Precipitating cause: | ||
| Overuse or strain | 7 (13) | 7 (13) |
| Minor injury | 8 (15) | 7 (13) |
| Unknown | 35 (66) | 34 (61) |
| Dominant shoulder affected | 18 (34) | 25 (45) |
| Course of symptoms preceding enrollment: | ||
| Improved | 4 (8) | 7 (13) |
| Stable | 34 (64) | 35 (65) |
| Deteriorated | 15 (28) | 12 (22) |
| Median (interquartile range) rating of severity as measured on visual analog scale*: | ||
| Associated with main complaint | 86 (74 to 93) | 78 (62 to 87) |
| Of pain during the day | 49 (28 to 66) | 48 (31 to 65) |
| Of pain at night | 52 (11 to 75) | 43 (16 to 78) |
| According to observer | 56 (30 to 65) | 53 (37 to 60) |
| Median (interquartile range) rating of shoulder disability† | 69 (56 to 81) | 69 (56 to 85) |
| Median (interquartile range) degree of restriction of range of motion‡: | ||
| Lateral rotation | 22 (8 to 31) | 19 (8 to 34) |
| Glenohumeral abduction | 40 (25 to 50) | 35 (22 to 48) |
*
Range of scores is 0-100; 100 indicates very severe pain.
†
Range of scores on shoulder disability questionnaire is 0-100; 100 indicates severe disability.11 12
‡
Restriction of range of motion as compared to healthy shoulder; measured by the independent observer.