Evaluation of the tissue thickness of the supraspinatus and biceps long head tendons using ultrasound among elderly patients with unilateral adhesive capsulitis in the freezing phase.
Nobuhisa Ohya, Takumi Yamada
PMID 35698553WHAT IT FOUND
In elderly people with freezing-phase shoulder pain and a positive shoulder test, ultrasound showed thicker supraspinatus and biceps long head tendons on the painful side than the other side.
The difference was larger than in people with negative shoulder tests, suggesting possible treatment targets.
Key findings
01In participants with a positive shoulder test plus resting and night pain, the painful side was 0.68 mm thicker than the other side for the supraspinatus tendon and 0.56 mm thicker for the biceps long head tendon; in participants with negative tests, the differences were 0.06 mm and 0.01 mm.
02Ultrasound measurements of tendon thickness were reproducible, with repeated readings agreeing closely for both examiners.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study did not test any treatment, so it cannot show that targeting the thicker tendon reduces pain or improves function. It included only elderly participants aged 69 to 79 years, which is older than the usual 40 to 65 year age range for frozen shoulder. It measured only the supraspinatus and biceps long head tendons, not other tissues such as the capsule, coracohumeral ligament, or subacromial bursa. Participants were grouped by shoulder tests and pain reports, not by a confirmed pathological diagnosis of frozen shoulder. The abnormal groups were small: 12 for the supraspinatus tendon and 8 for the biceps long head tendon.
Declared interests
The authors reported no sources of funding and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that ultrasound proves thicker tendons cause freezing-phase pain or that treating them will relieve pain. This study compared groups at one time point and did not test any treatment or clinical outcome.