Data from a study of effectiveness suggested potential prognostic factors related to the patterns of shoulder pain

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Shoulder pain is a common complaint in primary care, and the factors associated with persisting shoulder pain are varied. We therefore explored prognostic factors associated with shoulder pain problems. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Patients (n=109) were randomly allocated to 6 weeks of treatment with either corticosteroid injections (53 patients) or physiotherapy (56 patients). Patients were followed for 52 weeks. Severity of pain and shoulder disability was repeatedly scored at baseline and at 3, 7, 13, 26, and 52 weeks after randomization. Logistic regressions and mixed-effects models were used to explore prognostic factors. RESULTS: The data showed that during the 52 weeks of foll..