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 .
Effectiveness of Soft Tissue Massage for Nonspecific Shoulder Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial
Background Soft tissue massage and exercise are commonly used to treat episodes of shoulder pain . Objective The study objective was to compare the effects of soft tissue massage and exercise with those of exercise alone on pain , disability , and range of motion in people with nonspecific shoulder pain . Design This was a r and omized controlled trial . Setting The study was conducted in public hospital physical therapy clinics in Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . Participants The study participants were 80 people with an average age of 62.6 years ( SD=12.2 ) who were referred to physical therapists for treatment of nonspecific shoulder pain . Intervention Participants were r and omly assigned to either a group that received soft tissue massage around the shoulder and exercises ( n=40 ) or a group that received exercise only ( n=40 ) for 4 weeks . Measurements The primary outcome was improvement in pain , as measured on a 100-mm visual analog scale , 1 week after the cessation of treatment . Secondary outcomes were disability and active flexion , abduction , and h and -behind-back range of motion . Measurements were obtained at baseline , 1 week after the cessation of treatment , and 12 weeks after the cessation of treatment . Results The between-group difference in pain scores from the baseline to 12 weeks after the cessation of treatment demonstrated a small significant difference in favor of the group receiving exercise only ( mean difference=14.7 mm ) . There were no significant differences between groups in any other variable . Limitations It was not possible to mask therapists or participants to group allocation . Diagnostic tests were not used on participants to determine specific shoulder pathology . Conclusions The addition of soft tissue massage to an exercise program for the shoulder conferred no additional benefit for improving pain , disability , or range of motion in people with nonspecific 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 .