The impact of shoulder pathologies on job discontinuation and return to work: a pilot ultrasonographic investigation.
Po-Ching Chu, Chung-Hsun Chang, Chih-Peng Lin and 4 others
PMID 37539778WHAT IT FOUND
Shoulder surgery and jobs requiring forceful arm movement were linked to taking leave, while full-thickness supraspinatus tears were also associated with job discontinuation.
However, ultrasound findings did not predict return to work; pain and disability scores were the borderline factors.
Key findings
01Participants who discontinued their jobs had a higher proportion of receiving shoulder surgery and experienced more occupational forceful upper limb movements.
02After adjusting for age, sex, surgery, and work type, job discontinuation was independently associated with supraspinatus tendon full-thickness tears.
03In those who discontinued work, those who did not return had borderline higher pain during overhead activities and disability scores, but sonographic findings were similar between returners and non-returners.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (59 participants), limiting the generalizability of the results. The cross-sectional design means the study captured a snapshot in time and could not track dynamic changes in ultrasound findings relative to job status over time. Shoulder treatment strategies varied across patients and were difficult to quantify, making it hard to analyze the impact of specific treatments on work status. The study was explicitly designed as a pilot to identify trends rather than to prove causal relationships. The time interval between surgery and assessment varied widely (92 to 758 days), which may have influenced return-to-work rates.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the National Taiwan University Hospital, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Taiwan Society of Ultrasound in Medicine.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use ultrasound findings alone to determine if a patient can return to work. This pilot study found that sonographic results did not predict return to work, whereas pain and disability scores showed borderline associations. Structural integrity does not equal functional capability.