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 .
Pulsed electromagnetic field and exercises in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field ( PEMF ) and exercises in reducing pain and improving function and muscle strength in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome ( SIS ) . DESIGN Double-blind , r and omized controlled trial with a 3-month posttreatment follow-up . SETTING Outpatient rehabilitation of a public hospital . PARTICIPANTS Patients ( N=56 ) between 40 and 60 years of age , with a diagnosis of SIS , were r and omly assigned to receive active PEMF ( n=26 ; mean age , 50.1y ) or placebo PEMF ( n=30 ; mean age , 50.8y ) . INTERVENTIONS After 3 weeks of active or placebo PEMF , both groups performed the same program of exercises that focused on shoulder strengthening . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A visual analog scale , the University of California/Los Angeles shoulder rating scale , the Constant-Murley shoulder score , and h and held dynamometry for muscle strength were used as outcome measures at baseline ( pretreatment ) , at 3 weeks ( after active or placebo PEMF ) , at 9 weeks ( postexercise ) , and at 3 months posttreatment . RESULTS Patients in the active PEMF group had a higher level of function and less pain at all follow-up time frames compared with baseline ( P<.05 ) . However , the placebo PEMF group had increased function and reduced pain only at the 9-week and 3-month follow-ups (P<.05)-that is , after performing the associated exercises . For the shoulder dynamometry , the active PEMF group had increased strength for lateral rotation at 9 weeks ( P<.05 ) , and increased strength for medial rotation at 9 weeks and 3 months ( both P<.05 ) when compared with baseline . There was no significant difference for shoulder strength in the placebo PEMF group ( P>.05 ) , as well as no significant differences ( P>.05 ) for all outcome measures . CONCLUSIONS The combination of PEMF and shoulder exercises is effective in improving function and muscle strength and decreasing pain in patients with SIS . However , these results should be carefully interpreted because of the lack of differences between groups
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 .