Clinical rheumatology
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Clinical rheumatology · Apr 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparing the accuracy and efficacy of ultrasound-guided versus blind injections of steroid in the glenohumeral joint in patients with shoulder adhesive capsulitis.
Shoulder adhesive capsulitis is a condition mainly characterized by a decreased range of motion (ROM), with a lifelong prevalence of 2-5 %. Intra-articular steroid injection is an important treatment in this disease. It has been suggested that ultrasound-guided (US-guided) intra-articular injections are more accurate and effective than blind injections. ⋯ Improvements in pain, ROM, and functional score after 1 and 4 weeks were more prominent in the US-guided group, but the differences were not statistically significant, except for the changes in extension where the improvements were significantly higher in the US-guided group (p = 0.01). The accuracy of injections was also higher in the US-guided group (90 % vs. 76.19 %), but the differences were not found to be significant (p = 0.24). US-guided injections can be more accurate and yield better improvements in pain, ROM, and function of the patients, but they cost more and are time-consuming.