What Are the Most Important Problems in Functioning Among Patients With Shoulder Pain? An Analysis of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale.
Yngve Røe, Tarjei Rysstad, Anne Therese Tveter and 3 others
PMID 34089324WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with shoulder pain reported problems mostly in activities and participation, not just body function.
Secondary care patients reported significantly more issues with self-care and housework than those in primary care.
Key findings
01Almost 90% of the functional problems reported by patients belonged to the Activities and Participation component of the ICF, rather than Body Functions.
02The most frequent problems reported were recreation and leisure, lifting and carrying objects, doing housework, remunerative employment, and hand and arm use.
03Patients in secondary care reported significantly more problems with self-care and domestic life compared to those in primary care.
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 study included a heterogeneous group of participants with different shoulder diagnoses, and the primary care sample was based on self-reported pain without confirmed diagnosis. The two samples were collected in different geographic locations (urban Oslo vs. a small coastal city), which may introduce confounding variables. The confidence intervals for the differences between groups were wide, and the significant difference in body functions was close to zero, suggesting uncertainty in some findings. Secondary care patients reported more problems overall, which may influence the relative frequency of specific categories.
Declared interests
The funders (OsloMet and Fysiofondet) played no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that standard shoulder questionnaires capture the most important problems for your patients. This study shows that nearly 90% of patient-reported issues relate to activities and participation (like housework and leisure), which are often underrepresented in pain-focused assessments.