Table 1.
Patient demographics.
| Prolotherapy group | Corticosteroid group | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of shoulders | 17 | 19 | |
| Male : Female | 13:4 | 14:5 | 1 |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 51 (16) | 46(15) | 0.29 |
| Duration of symptoms (months), mean (SD) | 23 (43) | 28 (25) | 0.67 |
| Left : Right shoulder | 7:10 | 7:12 | 1 |
| Dominant hand (Yes : No) | 10:7 | 11:8 | 1 |
| Workers compensation (Yes : No) | 1:16 | 3:16 | 0.61 |
| Pain scores | |||
| Overall shoulder satisfaction, mean (SEM)* | 1.9 (0.2) | 1.8 (0.2) | 0.89 |
| Frequency of shoulder pain with activity, mean (SEM)** | 3.2 (0.2) | 3.0 (0.2) | 0.47 |
| Frequency of shoulder pain during sleep, mean (SEM)** | 3.0 (0.2) | 2.7 (0.2) | 0.4 |
| Level of shoulder pain with activities above the head, mean (SEM)*** | 2.3 (0.2) | 2.6 (0.2) | 0.28 |
| Level of shoulder pain during sleep, mean (SEM)*** | 1.5 (0.3) | 2.0 (0.2) | 0.09 |
| Range of motion scores | |||
| Forward flexion (°), mean (SEM) | 167 (3) | 161 (7) | 0.43 |
| Abduction (°), mean (SEM) | 166 (5) | 153 (7) | 0.17 |
| External rotation (°), mean (SEM) | 67 (4) | 60 (4) | 0.23 |
| Strength | |||
| External rotation (N), mean (SEM) | 84 (7) | 83 (8) | 0.9 |
| Internal rotation (N), mean (SEM) | 89 (7) | 85 (9) | 0.76 |
| Supraspinatus (N), mean (SEM) | 59 (8) | 68 (8) | 0.41 |
| Lift off (N), mean (SEM) | 53 (5) | 50 (6) | 0.67 |
*Scored on a five-point Likert scale (very bad, bad, poor, fair, good) and converted to a numerical score from 0 to 4.
**Scored on a five-point Likert scale (never, monthly, weekly, daily, always) and converted to a numerical score from 0 to 4.
**Scored on a five-point Likert scale (none, mild, moderate, severe, very severe) and converted to a numerical score from 0 to 4.