http://www.physiospot.com/research/self-managed-loaded-exercise-versus-usual-physiotherapy-treatment-for-rotator-cuff-tendinopathy/

Self-managed loaded exercise versus usual physiotherapy treatment for rotator cuff tendinopathy

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 BY WILLIAM HARRISON 

Rotator cuff tendinopathy is often the cause of shoulder pain characterised by persistent and/or recurrent problems for a proportion of sufferers. The authors’ objective in this study was to pilot the methods proposed to conduct a substantive study to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-managed loaded exercise programme as opposed to usual physiotherapy treatment for rotator cuff tendinopathy. They conducted a single-centre pragmatic unblinded parallel group pilot randomised controlled trial at one private physiotherapy clinic, northern England. 24 individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy were recruited.

The intervention was a programme of self-managed loaded exercise. The control group received usual physiotherapy treatment. Baseline assessment comprised the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and the Short-Form 36, repeated three months after randomisation. The recruitment target was met and the majority of participants (98%) were willing to be randomised. 100% retention was attained with all participants completing the SPADI at three months. Exercise adherence rates were excellent (90%). The mean change in SPADI score was -23.7 (95% CI -14.4 to -33.3) points for the self-managed exercise group and -19.0 (95% CI -6.0 to -31.9) points for the usual physiotherapy treatment group. The difference in three month SPADI scores was 0.1 (95% CI -16.6 to 16.9) points in favour of the usual physiotherapy treatment group.

The authors concluded that in keeping with past research which suggest the need for further study of self-managed loaded exercise for rotator cuff tendinopathy, these methods and the preliminary evaluation of outcome offer a foundation and stimulus to undertake a substantive study.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23954024

Physiotherapy. 2013 Aug 14. pii: S0031-9406(13)00059-X. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2013.06.001. [Epub ahead of print]

Self-managed loaded exercise versus usual physiotherapy treatment for rotator cuff tendinopathy: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Littlewood C, Malliaras P, Mawson S, May S, Walters SJ.

Source

School of Health & Related Research, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield S1 4DA, UK. Electronic address: c.littlewood@sheffield.ac.uk.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a common source of shoulder pain characterised by persistent and/or recurrent problems for a proportion of sufferers. The aim of this study was to pilot the methods proposed to conduct a substantive study to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-managed loaded exercise programme versus usual physiotherapy treatment for rotator cuff tendinopathy.

DESIGN:

A single-centre pragmatic unblinded parallel group pilot randomised controlled trial.

SETTING:

One private physiotherapy clinic, northern England.

PARTICIPANTS:

Twenty-four participants with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

INTERVENTIONS:

The intervention was a programme of self-managed loaded exercise. The control group received usual physiotherapy treatment.

MAIN OUTCOMES:

Baseline assessment comprised the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and the Short-Form 36, repeated three months post randomisation.

RESULTS:

The recruitment target was met and the majority of participants (98%) were willing to be randomised. 100% retention was attained with all participants completing the SPADI at three months. Exercise adherence rates were excellent (90%). The mean change in SPADI score was -23.7 (95% CI -14.4 to -33.3) points for the self-managed exercise group and -19.0 (95% CI -6.0 to -31.9) points for the usual physiotherapy treatment group. The difference in three month SPADI scores was 0.1 (95% CI -16.6 to 16.9) points in favour of the usual physiotherapy treatment group.

CONCLUSIONS:

In keeping with previous research which indicates the need for further evaluation of self-managed loaded exercise for rotator cuff tendinopathy, these methods and the preliminary evaluation of outcome offer a foundation and stimulus to conduct a substantive study.

Copyright © 2013 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Exercise, Quality of life, Randomised controlled trial, Rehabilitation, Rotator cuff tendinopathy

PMID:

 

23954024

 

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]