The shoulder-hand syndrome after stroke: a prospective clinical trial

Shoulder-hand syndrome developed in 36 (27%) of 132 hemiplegic patients in a prospective study. Subluxation, paresis of the shoulder girdle, moderate spasticity, and deficits in confrontation visual field testing were the major risk factors. In a placebo-controlled, nonblinded trial, 31 of the 36 patients became almost symptom free within 10 days' treatment with low doses of oral corticosteroids. Shoulder joint capsules taken at autopsy of 7 patients showed signs of previous trauma of the affected shoulder. In the second part of this study on another 86 patients, early awareness of potential injuries to shoulder joint structures reduced the frequency of shoulder-hand syndrome from 27 to 8%. These clinical findings suggest that shoulder-hand syndrome in hemiplegia is initiated by peripheral lesions. A self-perpetuating vicious cycle may be established, followed by the clinical picture of a "reflex sympathetic dystrophy." In the majority of stroke patients, this clinical phenomenon seems to be preventable by avoiding shoulder trauma.