Needle placement approach to subacromial injection in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome: A systematic...

Subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) is the most common cause of shoulder pain and is costly, in terms of disability and health service provision. Research evidence suggests that, generally, the anterior, lateral and posterior approaches are used by clinicians for subacromial injection. However, it is uncertain which of these approaches is more effective than the other in the management of SAIS.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of the anterior, lateral approach to subacromial injection compared with the posterior approach for the treatment of SAIS.

A comprehensive search was undertaken of CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, PEDro and the E-Journals databases using full texts, from 1980 to April 2014 and updated in December 2016 via the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (EBSCOhost). Studies of SAIS patients receiving cortisone injections which investigated needle placement through the lateral, posterior or anterior routes were included. Study selection, data extraction and appraisal of the study were undertaken by the researcher and his supervisor. Quality criteria were selected from PEDro, to form a checklist of 10 items.

A total of 4265 citations were retrieved and screened for eligibility; 39 articles were assessed as full text and 8 met the inclusion criteria. They include four randomized controlled trials and four controlled trials. Due to the varying methodological quality, and clinical and statistical heterogeneity of these studies, they were analysed qualitatively, as a meta-analysis was not possible.

The evidence establishing the superiority of any one method of subacromial injection approach over the other is unclear in clinical practice. This calls for further research into this area.