Shoulder disorders: a state-of-the-art review

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rheumatology
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Background:

• Shoulder disorder (SD) is a prevalent condition with significant impact on patient health.
• Understanding its epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an up-to-date overview of shoulder disorder (SD).
• To summarize evidence on diagnostic methods and treatment effectiveness for SD.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
• Analysis of epidemiological data on incidence and prevalence.
• Evaluation of diagnostic classifications and imaging techniques.

Main Results:

• SD has a high prevalence (51% 1-year period prevalence).
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroid injections show short-term effectiveness (≤6 weeks).
• Evidence for physiotherapy effectiveness and prognostic validity of diagnostic classifications is limited.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to clarify long-term treatment outcomes for SD.
• Improved diagnostic models and validation of physiotherapy interventions are required.
• Current diagnostic classifications show poor reproducibility.