Shoulder Pain

This review is a pragmatic attempt to highlight recent research and some background reading on shoulder pain. It should not be considered exhaustive, simply a way of reviewing some of the major developments and current thinking in the area.

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Clinical Guidelines

• The diagnosis and managment of soft tissue shoulder injuries and related disorders. NZ Guideline Group, 2004
• Shoulder (acute & chronic). Work Loss Data Institute, 2006
• Shoulder trauma. American College of Radiology, 2005

Systematic Reviews

• Extracorporeal shock wave treatment for chronic rotator cuff tendonitis (shoulder pain). DARE, 2007
• Oral steroids for adhesive capsulitis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2006
• Ergonomic and physiotherapeutic interventions for treating work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2006
• Conservative management following closed reduction of traumatic anterior dislocation of the shoulder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2006
• Acupuncture for shoulder pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2006
• Interventions for tears of the rotator cuff in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2003
• Physiotherapy interventions for shoulder pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2003
• Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain among working age adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2003
• Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy forcalcific tendonitis (tendinopathy) of the shoulder. NICE, 2003
• Diagnostic evaluation of shoulder pain: a systematic review on the accuracy of signs and symptoms related to rotator cuff disorders. DARE, 2004

Recent articles in core journals

• Evidence-based review of shoulder pain. Musculoskeletal Care, 2006
• Correlation between clinical diagnosis and arthroscopic findings of the shoulder. Postgrad Med J, 2005
• Shoulder pain: diagnosis and management in primary care. BMJ, 2005
• Diagnosis and treatment of chronic painful shoulder: review of nonsurgical interventions. Arthroscopy, 2005
• Evaluation of shoulder pain. J Fam Pract, 2002
• Shoulder pain. Identifying, treating the problem. Mayo Clin Health Letter, 2002
• Differential diagnosis of shoulder injuries in sports. Orthop Clin North Am, 2001
• The painful shoulder: part I. Clinical evaluation. Am Fam Physician, 2000
• The painful shoulder: part II. Acute and chronic disorders. Am Fam Physician, 2000

eTextbooks

• eMedicine
• GP Notebook

Clinical Queries

• In shoulder joint adhesive capsulitis what is the evidence for giving mutiple intra-articular injections of long acting corticosteroids? NLH Q&A Service, 2005
• What are the best treatments for "frozen shoulder" Is doing "nothing" safer and as effective? NLH Q&A Service, 2006
• Is there any evidence of benefit for injections of hyaluronic acid into the shoulder joint of a 50 year old professional climber who has had rotator cuff repair but also has an arthritic joint? NLH Q&A Service, 2006

Patient Information

• Arthritis Research Campaign
• NHS Direct
• eMedicine Consumer Health
• Family Doctor
• Medline Plus