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 .
A controlled trial of the benefits of ultrasound-guided steroid injection for shoulder pain.
OBJECTIVES We studied the value of ultrasound ( US ) to define shoulder pathology and guide local steroid injection in comparison with a st and ard injection in the management of the acute painful shoulder . METHODS Seventy consecutive patients with acute shoulder pain were assessed clinical ly and by US . Patients were r and omized to receive either a st and ard subacromial infiltration of 7 mg of betamethasone or a US-guided injection according to the US diagnosis . Follow-up evaluations were performed by an independent assessor who was blinded to the results of the initial US and clinical assessment s. RESULTS Sixty-seven patients completed the study . Both groups showed a significant reduction in both daytime and night pain compared to baseline . The US injection group had significantly less pain at rest at 2 and 6 weeks ( NRS : 1.6 vs 3.3 , P<0.005 ; 3 vs 4.2 , P<0.04 ) . The percentage of good responders was significantly higher in US group at 2 weeks , ( 81 % vs 54 % , P<0.005 ) and 6 weeks ( 64 % vs 38 % , P<0.05 ) . At 2 and 6 weeks , responder rate and activity pain scores as well as Constant score were in favour of US , though did not reach statistical significance . CONCLUSION Local steroid injection for shoulder pain leads to significant improvements in pain and function for up to 12 weeks . An US examination to define the origin of shoulder pain as well as to guide injection provides significant additional benefits for up to 6 weeks . We recommend routine US examination as part of the management of acute shoulder pain
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 .