Ultrasonography of the shoulder: asymptomatic findings from working-age women in the general population.
Roberto Meroni, Daniele Piscitelli, Sansone Valerio and 5 others
PMID 28744052WHAT IT FOUND
In 228 women with no shoulder symptoms, ultrasound found rotator cuff calcifications in 70 shoulders, humeral head geodes in 28, and cuff lack of uniformity in 27; no cuff tears were seen.
Key findings
01In 228 women with no shoulder symptoms, rotator cuff calcifications were found in 70 shoulders.
02No partial- or full-thickness rotator cuff tear was found in any participant.
03Humeral head geodes were found in 28 shoulders, and lack of uniformity in the rotator cuffs was found in 27 shoulders.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Women were selected from a supermarket chain in northern Italy, so results may not apply to other ages, occupations, or regions. Asymptomatic status was based on self-reported questionnaire answers, so recall bias could misclassify people. The study was cross-sectional and had no surgical confirmation or follow-up, so it cannot show whether abnormalities appeared before symptoms or stayed harmless. The analysis excluded women with any symptomatic shoulder, so it does not show how common these findings are in people who already have shoulder pain.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read a calcification or lack of uniformity on a painful shoulder as proof that the finding caused the pain. The same kinds of abnormalities were found in shoulders with no shoulder symptoms, and the study did not follow participants over time.