Abstract
Background: Frozen shoulder (FS) is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition characterized by an often prolonged pain, disability and limited active and passive range of motion (ROM), however its management remains challenging yet. The objective of this trial was to compare the efficacy of acromioclavicular joint mobilization and physical therapy versus physical therapy in treatment of FS.Methods: In this single-blind randomized clinical trial, patients with diagnosis of FS were randomly allocated into mobilization + physical therapy (n=28) as experiment group, and physical therapy (n=28) as control group in two outpatient clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The primary outcomes were self-reported shoulder pain-related disability measured by the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) questionnaire and goniometric assessment of shoulder ROM. The secondary outcome was the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Measures were performed at the baseline, immediately and one month after beginning the treatments.Results: Totally 51 patients with 25.73 ± 6.88 years old of age completed the study and their data were analyzed. VAS, SPADI, pain and disability improved more significantly in experiment group compared to control group immediately [-4.63 (-5.58- -3.67) vs. -2.22 (-2.96- -1.47), p<0.001; -23.08 (-28.63- -17.53) vs. -13.04 (-17.93- -8.16), p=0.008; -26.00 (-31.71- -20.29) vs. -16.35 (-23.39- -9.31), p=0.034 and -21.25 (-29.11- -13.39) vs. -10.98 (-17.53- -4.43), p=0.042, respectively] and one month after beginning of treatment [-5.58 (-6.45- -4.72) vs. -3.61 (-4.60- -2.62), p<0.001; -33.43 (-40.85- -26.01) vs. -20.03 (-26.00- -14.07), p=0.001; --42.83 (-49.09- -36.57) vs. -25.57 (-33.92- -17.21), p<0.001 and -27.55 (-36.19- -15.94) vs. -16.58 (-24.48- -8.67), p=0.041, respectively]. Active abduction ROM was also improved more significantly immediately after treatment in experiment group compared to control group [25.83 (11.45- 40.13) vs. 10.17 (1.02- 19.15), p=0.025], however there were no significant differences between two groups concerning other measured ROMs immediately and one month after treatment (all p>0.05). Conclusions: Acromioclavicular mobilization along with conventional physical therapy was more efficient in decreasing pain and disability and improving active abduction ROM compared to physical therapy in patients with FS. These findings would suggest a new therapeutic method for shoulder disorders with pain and disability.Trial registrationwww.irct.ir, IRCT20100605004104N7, registered 06.01.2019 (https://www.irct.ir/trial/35900)
Effectiveness of Acromioclavicular Joint Mobilization and Physical Therapy vs Physical Therapy Alone in Patients with Frozen Shoulder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
