In many instances , no or minimal attempts to screen were undertaken or reported .
Background Subacromial shoulder pain is a common clinical presentation with much diagnostic uncertainty .
Some of this uncertainty relates to the involvement of the cervical spine as a source or contribution to subacromial shoulder pain .
Currently , there is no accepted method of screening of the cervical spine in the presence of subacromial shoulder pain , which risks patients receiving misguided and /or ineffective interventions .
Objective To evaluate approaches used to screen the cervical spine in patients with subacromial shoulder pain .
Ultrasound-Guided Versus Blind Subacromial Corticosteroid Injections for Subacromial Impingement Syndrome
Background : Subacromial corticosteroid injections are frequently performed for impingement syndrome of the shoulder . To improve the accuracy of injections , ultrasound can be used . Purpose : To assess the clinical outcome of ultrasound-guided subacromial injections compared with blind subacromial injections for subacromial impingement syndrome . Study Design : R and omized controlled clinical trial ; Level of evidence , 1 . Methods : A total of 56 shoulders with subacromial impingement syndrome were r and omized into 2 groups : 28 shoulders received a subacromial corticosteroid injection with ultrasound guidance ( ultrasound group ) , and 28 shoulders received a subacromial corticosteroid injection without ultrasound guidance ( blind group ) . The visual analog scale ( VAS ) for pain with overhead activities and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons ( ASES ) score were obtained before the injection and at 6 weeks after the injection . Results : The VAS score for pain with overhead activities decreased from 59 ± 5 mm ( mean ± SEM ) before the injection to 33 ± 6 mm at 6 weeks after the injection in the ultrasound group ( P < .001 ) and from 63 ± 4 mm to 39 ± 6 mm , respectively , in the blind group ( P < .001 ) . The decrease in the VAS score was not significantly different between the groups ( P > .999 ) . The ASES score increased from 57 ± 2 before the injection to 68 ± 3 at 6 weeks after the injection in the ultrasound group ( P < .01 ) and from 54 ± 3 before the injection to 65 ± 4 after the injection in the blind group ( P < .01 ) , with no significant difference between the groups ( P = .7 ) . Four shoulders ( 14 % ) in the ultrasound group and 6 shoulders ( 21 % ) in the blind group eventually needed surgery ( P = .7 ) . Conclusion : No significant differences were found in the clinical outcome when comparing ultrasound-guided subacromial injections to blind subacromial injections for subacromial impingement syndrome . Clinical Trial Registration : Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry :
In many instances , no or minimal attempts to screen were undertaken or reported .
Background Subacromial shoulder pain is a common clinical presentation with much diagnostic uncertainty .
Some of this uncertainty relates to the involvement of the cervical spine as a source or contribution to subacromial shoulder pain .
Currently , there is no accepted method of screening of the cervical spine in the presence of subacromial shoulder pain , which risks patients receiving misguided and /or ineffective interventions .
Objective To evaluate approaches used to screen the cervical spine in patients with subacromial shoulder pain .