A quarter of adults have had shoulder pain in the last year, and shoulder impingement, also diagnosed as rotator cuff disease or subacromial pain syndrome, accounts for 70 per cent of cases. The British Medical Journal has published new advice for doctors making a “strong recommendation against surgery”.
Surgery has little benefit in patients levels of pain, movement or quality of life when compared to painkillers, steroid injections or exercises. Instead, subacromial decompression surgery exposes patients to higher risk of harmful side-effects and creates costs for the health services, it says.
The clinical trial was conducted in 2017 with 274 patients, split into three roughly equal groups between treatment, placebo and no treatment. It found that six months after surgery or the placebo, patients rated their pain and mobility at the same level.
We treat shoulder pain regularly in our clinics, and we can usually provide improvements in pain, range of movement and quality of life. If you are suffering from shoulder pain, get in touch to see how we can help.