Is there a short-term benefit from an intra-articular steroid injection in female patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder treated with physiotherapy?

Kumar, KrishnaThomas, AncyTetsworth, KevinHohmann, Erik2018-07-202018-07-202017Kumar, K., Thomas, A., Tetsworth, K. & Hohmann, E. 2017, 'Is there a short-term benefit from an intra-articular steroid injection in female patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder treated with physiotherapy?', Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1-6.1022-5536 (print)2309-4990 (online)10.1177/2309499017690463http://hdl.handle.net/2263/65807INTRODUCTION : The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the possible short-term benefit of a single intraarticular corticosteroid injection in those patients treated with physiotherapy when compared to a group of patients undergoing physiotherapy only (PT only). METHODS : A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify eligible patients treated over a 4-year period. All female patients between 40 years and 60 years with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis who completed a prescribed physiotherapy program were considered eligible. Sixty-three patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, but 22 were excluded because of missing data in the medical record. The remaining 41 patients comprise the study cohort; an experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapist assessed these patients both at initial presentation and at 12 weeks. Twenty patients with a mean age of 55.1 years underwent PT only and 21 patients with a mean age of 52.4 years received a single intra-articular dose of 40 mg methylprednisolone followed by physiotherapy. Outcome measures included the visual analogue scale (VAS) and measurement of range of motion. RESULTS : At final assessment (12 weeks), significant between-group differences were identified for the ‘PT only’ group for flexion (p ¼ 0.01) and abduction (p ¼ 0.008). When comparing the mean change from the initial assessment, a significant between-group difference was observed for abduction (p ¼ 0.03). CONCLUSIONS : The results of this study suggest that the intra-articular injection of a single dose of cortisone has no significant short-term benefit in female patients with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis managed with physiotherapy.en© Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2018. Creative Commons CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License.Adhesive capsulitisCorticosteroid injectionPhysiotherapyRange of motionVisual analogue scale (VAS)MethylprednisoloneTreatment outcomeCutaneous electrical nerve stimulationSingle drug dosePhysiotherapyMuscle trainingJoint mobilityHumeroscapular periarthritisElectrostimulationIs there a short-term benefit from an intra-articular steroid injection in female patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder treated with physiotherapy?Article