Open Surgical Treatment for Snapping Scapula Provides Durable Pain Relief, but so Does Nonsurgical Treatment

Resection of the medial upper corner of the scapula is one option for treating patients with a painful chronic snapping scapula. However, the degree to which this procedure results in sustained relief of pain during long-term followup, and whether surgical treatment offers any compelling advantages over nonsurgical approaches at long-term followup, are not known.

We asked: (1) At long-term followup after surgical treatment of a painful snapping scapula, did patients' pain decrease? (2) Did scapulocostal crepitation improve? (3) Did patients return to work?

Between 1971 and 1992, 15 patients underwent surgery by one surgeon for persistent (> 1 year) and severely painful crepitus around the superomedial scapula that did not respond to nonsurgical approaches. The procedure consisted of an open resection of the superomedial corner of the scapula and release of the levator scapulae muscle. Patients treated surgically were compared with a group of nine patients treated nonsurgically between 1975 and 1997; their treatments included temporary physiotherapy, massage, and NSAIDs. In general, the patients treated nonsurgically presented with less pain. However, during much of this study period, objective pain and functional scales were not in common use, and so baseline scores were not available. Of the 15 patients treated surgically, nine participated in a clinical and questionnaire survey at a mean of 22 years (range, 16-35 years), and 12 participated in a questionnaire survey a mean 27 years after surgery (range, 23-43 years). Of the nine patients treated nonsurgically, seven participated in a clinical followup and questionnaire survey at a mean followup of 16 years (range, 10-25 years), and all nine completed a questionnaire survey at a mean of 22 years (range, 17-33 years). Patient age at onset of symptoms was a mean of 27 years. The clinical followup and questionnaires focused on pain, crepitation, and work status.

With the numbers available, there was no difference in pain scores between patients treated surgically and those treated nonsurgically (mean VAS pain with exertion 0.8 ± 1.3 versus 1.5 ± 1.6; p = 0.357); in fact, pain scores were quite low in both groups. Pain improved promptly in seven of 12 patients treated surgically, but lasted for at least several years in all patients treated nonsurgically. Crepitus persisted variably in both groups at final followup, with no apparent difference between the groups in terms of its frequency, but it was not consistently associated with pain at final followup in either group (six of 12 patients treated surgically, all painless; and all of seven clinically examined patients treated nonsurgically, two without pain, had crepitus at latest followup; p = 0.004), whereas at initial presentation, the crepitus had been painful in all patients. All patients in both groups had returned to work after surgery or the first consultation.

Carefully selected patients who undergo this procedure appear to obtain sustained relief of painful crepitus at long term, but so do patients treated nonsurgically. Since the decision to treat these patients surgically was somewhat subjective, and since patients treated nonsurgically did so well (although the surgically treated patients improved faster), we cannot conclude that surgery is better than nonsurgical treatment. Multicenter comparative studies with carefully applied indications are needed.

Level III, therapeutic study.