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Related Experiment Videos

Oral steroids for adhesive capsulitis.

R Buchbinder1, S Green, J M Youd

  • 1Cabrini Hospital and Monash Unversity, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Suite 41, Cabrini Medical Centre, 183 Wattletree Rd, Malvern, Victoria, Australia. rachelle.buchbinder@med.monash.edu.au

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 21, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Oral steroids offer short-term relief for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) pain and stiffness. However, benefits in shoulder function and range of motion may not last beyond six weeks.

Area of Science:

  • Orthopedics
  • Rheumatology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Adhesive capsulitis, commonly known as frozen shoulder, is a painful and debilitating condition affecting shoulder mobility.
  • Interventions for shoulder pain are a focus of Cochrane reviews, aiming to provide evidence-based guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral steroid medications for treating adhesive capsulitis.
  • To synthesize findings from randomized controlled trials comparing oral steroids to placebo or other treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified through comprehensive database searches (Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL) up to November 2005.
  • Inclusion criteria focused on RCTs involving participants with adhesive capsulitis and interventions with oral steroids versus control groups (placebo, no treatment, or other interventions).

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  • Methodological quality assessment and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers using standard Cochrane methodology.

    • Main Results:

    • Five small RCTs were included, varying in design, comparators, and oral steroid regimens.
    • One trial showed significant short-term benefits of oral steroids over placebo for pain, shoulder abduction, and function (SPADI score), but these were not sustained at six weeks.
    • Other trials reported no significant differences or only rapid initial pain improvement compared to placebo or no treatment, with minimal adverse effects.

    Conclusions:

    • "Silver" level evidence suggests oral steroids provide significant short-term improvements in pain, range of motion, and function for adhesive capsulitis.
    • The therapeutic effects of oral steroids may diminish after six weeks, indicating a limited duration of benefit.
    • Further high-quality research is needed due to the variable quality and reporting of included trials.