| Methods |
Randomised, controlled trial
Blinding: outcome assessment was blinded. Participants do not appear to have been blinded.
Loss to follow‐up: 4 patients of unspecified group allocation (failed to attend at 6 weeks or 6 months).
Appropriate statistical analysis: Analysis based upon completers only (62/66) |
| Participants |
66 patients. Inclusion criteria: Periarthritis
(Painful stiff shoulder for at least 4 weeks, inability to use the affected arm with restriction of movement and loss of full function,
pain at night causing sleep disturbance with inability to lie on the affected side.
Exclusion criteria: stroke, generalised arthritis, cervical spondylosis, highly localised lesion such as bicipital tendinitis. |
| Interventions |
Group 1(22 patients): Local steroid injections of 20mg triamcinolone with 1 ml 2% lignocaine injected anteriorly around the shoulder joint by 1 physician.
Group 2(20 patients): Four to six weeks of "physiotherapy thought most appropriate", performed by one therapist and mainly comprised of mobilisation.
Group 3(20 patients): Both physiotherapy and injection as above. |
| Outcomes |
Outcome assessed at baseline, six weeks and six months
1) Day pain, night pain and pain during active and passive movement each assessed on 10cm VAS.
2) Range of passive movement: complete shoulder abduction, glenohumeral abduction and external rotation measured with goniometer; passive internal rotation measured by hand behind back.
3) Treatment costs. |
| Notes |
While included in review, data presented with no measure of variance and no means of calculating it. Therefore not included in the meta‐analysis.
Results:
All groups demonstrated improvement in pain at six weeks, but with no significant differences between groups. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? |
Unclear risk |
B ‐ Unclear |
