Disorders of the Rotator Cuff of the Shoulder - Related Resources

Cochrane reviews

There appears to be no advantage in terms of pain, function, shoulder range of motion or safety, of ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection for shoulder disorders over either landmark-guided or intramuscular injection Image-Guided Versus Blind Glucocorticoid Injection for Shoulder Pain.
Oral steroids may provide short-term (< 6 weeks) benefits in pain, range of movement of the shoulder and function in adhesive capsulitis Oral Steroids for Adhesive Capsulitis.
There is insufficient evidence on acupuncture in shoulder pain. It may have little effect on pain in short term Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain.
There appears to be no significant differences in outcome between open or arthroscopic subacromial decompression and active non-operative treatment for impingement. Also, there appears to be no significant differences in outcome between arthroscopic and open subacromial decompression although arthroscopic decompression may be associated with earlier recovery Surgery for Rotator Cuff Disease.
Topical glyceryl trinitrate may slightly improve pain among patients with acute symptoms of rotator cuff disease Topical Glyceryl Trinitrate for Rotator Cuff Disease.

High-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) focused on the calcific deposit appears to be effective in the treatment of calcific rotator cuff tendonitis whereas low-energy ESWT for patients with non-calcific RC tendonitis appears to be ineffective Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Tendonitis of the Rotator Cuff.

Matsen FA 3rd. Clinical practice. Rotator-cuff failure. N Engl J Med 2008 May 15;358(20):2138-47. [PubMed]
Vastamäki M, Lohman M, Borgmästars N. Rotator cuff integrity correlates with clinical and functional results at a minimum 16 years after open repair. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2013;471(2):554-61. [PubMed]
Borgmästars N, Paavola M, Remes V et al. Pain relief, motion, and function after rotator cuff repair or reconstruction may not persist after 16 years. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2010;468(10):2678-89. [PubMed]

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