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Utility of Dissociated Intrinsic Hand Muscle Atrophy in the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Published on: March 4, 2014
Shoulder pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Doreen T Ho1, Robin Ruthazer, James A Russell
1Department of Neurology, Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington, MA 01805, USA.
Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular Disease
|February 25, 2012
Summary
Shoulder pain affects nearly a quarter of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This pain was not linked to demographics but was associated with arm weakness and other pain symptoms in individuals with ALS.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Musculoskeletal Medicine
Background:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
- Shoulder pain is a common but understudied comorbidity in ALS patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of shoulder pain in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) population.
- To explore potential associations between shoulder pain and demographic/clinical features in ALS patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for 193 ALS patients.
- Categorization of patients based on motor neuron signs and initial body region involvement.
- Identification of shoulder pain frequency within subgroups.
Main Results:
- Twenty-three percent (45/193) of ALS patients reported shoulder pain.
- No correlation found between shoulder pain and age, gender, manual labor, prior shoulder issues, ALS phenotype, or initial region of involvement.
- Shoulder pain correlated with increased likelihood of proximal arm weakness and reporting of other pain.
Conclusions:
- Shoulder pain is prevalent in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Further research is needed to identify risk factors, underlying mechanisms, and effective treatments for shoulder pain in ALS.
- Understanding and managing shoulder pain can potentially improve the quality of life for ALS patients.
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