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Suprascapular nerve block for pain relief in adhesive capsulitis: comparison of 2 different techniques
Gülçin Kaymak Karataş1, Jale Meray
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. mgkarat@tr.net
Objective:
To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of 2 suprascapular nerve block techniques in adhesive capsulitis.
Design:
A single-blinded, randomized, comparative clinical trial.
Setting:
Physical medicine and rehabilitation department of a university hospital in Turkey.
Participants:
Forty-one patients with adhesive capsulitis.
Interventions:
Suprascapular nerve block with patients randomly divided into 2 groups: group A, needle tip guided by superficial bony landmarks, or group B, near-nerve electromyographically guided technique.
Main Outcome Measures:
Visual analog scale (VAS) score for pain severity and range of motion (ROM) were assessed before the injection and at 10 and 60 minutes after it.
Results:
Active and passive ROM changes and VAS score changes from baseline were statistically significant for each group (P<.05). Passive ROM changes within time after the injection were statistically significant between the 2 groups in all planes except glenohumeral abduction. Achieved VAS score changes in the groups within time were significantly different from each other (P=.001). The VAS score difference after the suprascapular nerve block was more prominent in the near-nerve electromyography group.
Conclusion:
The near-nerve electromyography technique for suprascapular nerve block was more successful in providing and maintaining pain relief for up to 60 minutes.
