Radiographic findings in patients suspected of subacromial impingement syndrome: prevalence and reliability.

OBJECTIVE: Aims were to (i) report prevalence and (ii) evaluate reliability of the radiographic findings in examinations of patients suspected of subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS), performed before a patient's first consultation at orthopaedic department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined radiographs from 850 patients, age 18 to 63 years, referred to orthopaedic clinic on suspicion of SIS. Prevalence (%) of radiographic findings were registered. Inter- and intrarater reliability was analysed using expected and observed agreement (%), kappa coefficients, Bland-Altman plots, or intraclass coefficients. RESULTS: A total of 850 patients with a mean age of 48.2 years (SD = 8.8) were included. Prevalence of the radiographic findings was as follows: calcification 24.4%, Bigliani type III (hooked) acromion 15.8%, lateral/medial acromial spurs 11.1%/6.6%, acromioclavicular osteoarthritis 12.0%, and Bankart/Hill-Sachs lesions 7.1%. Inter- and intrarater Kappa values for most radiographic findings ranged between 0.40 and 0.89; highest values for the presence of calcification (0.85 and 0.89) and acromion type (0.63 and 0.66). The inter- and intrarater intraclass coefficients ranged between 0.41 and 0.83; highest values for acromial tilt (0.79 and 0.83) and calcification area (0.69 and 0.81). CONCLUSION: Calcification, Bigliani type III (hooked) acromion, and acromioclavicular osteoarthritis were prevalent findings among patients seen in orthopaedic departments on suspicion of SIS. Spurs and Bankart/Hill-Sachs lesions were less common. Optimal reliabilities were found for the presence of calcification, calcification area, and acromial tilt. Calcification qualities, acromion type, lateral spur, and acromioclavicular osteoarthritis showed suboptimal reliabilities. Newer architectural measures (acromion index and lateral acromial angle) performed well with respect to reliability.

Effectiveness of Standardized Physical Therapy Exercises for Patients With Difficulty Returning to Usual Activities After Decompression Surgery for Subacromial Impingement Syndrome: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effectiveness of exercise programs after decompression surgery for subacromial impingement syndrome. For patients with difficulty returning to usual activities, special efforts may be needed to improve shoulder function. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness at 3 and 12 months of a standardized physical therapy exercise intervention compared with usual care in patients with difficulty returning to usual activities after subacromial decompression surgery. DESIGN: A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted. SETTING: The study was conducted in 6 public departments of orthopedic surgery, 2 departments of occupational medicine, and 2 physical therapy training centers in Central Denmark Region. PATIENTS: One hundred twenty-six patients reporting difficulty returning to usual activities at the postoperative clinical follow-up 8 to 12 weeks after subacromial decompression surgery participated. INTERVENTION: A standardized exercise program consisting of physical therapist-supervised individual training sessions and home training was used. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the Oxford Shoulder Score. Secondary outcome measures were the Constant Score and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. RESULTS: At 3 and 12 months, follow-up data were obtained for 92% and 83% of the patients, respectively. Intention-to-treat analyses suggested a between-group difference on the Oxford Shoulder Score favoring the exercise group at 3 months, with an adjusted mean difference of 2.0 (95% confidence interval=-0.5, 4.6), and at 12 months, with an adjusted mean difference of 5.8 (95% confidence interval=2.8, 8.9). Significantly larger improvements for the exercise group were observed for most secondary and supplementary outcome measures. LIMITATIONS: The nature of the exercise intervention did not allow blinding of patients and care providers. CONCLUSION: The standardized physical therapy exercise intervention resulted in statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in shoulder pain and function at 12 months compared with usual care.

Responsiveness and Minimal Clinically Important Change: A Comparison Between 2 Shoulder Outcome Measures.

Study Design A prospective cohort study nested in a randomized controlled trial. Objectives To determine and compare responsiveness and minimal clinically important change of the modified Constant score (CS) and the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS). Background The OSS and the CS are commonly used to assess shoulder outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the measurement properties of the OSS and CS in terms of responsiveness and minimal clinically important change. Methods The study included 126 patients who reported having difficulty returning to usual activities 8 to 12 weeks after arthroscopic decompression surgery for subacromial impingement syndrome. The assessment at baseline and at 3 months included the OSS, the CS, and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions-3 Level (EQ-5D-3L) index. Responsiveness was assessed as follows: by correlation analysis between the change scores of the OSS, CS, and EQ-5D-3L index, and the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale; by receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis using the PGIC scale as an external anchor; and by effect-size statistics. Results At 3 months, a follow-up assessment of 112 patients (89%) was conducted. The change scores of the CS and the OSS were more strongly correlated with the external anchor (PGIC scale) than the change score of the EQ-5D-3L index. The areas under the ROC curves exceeded 0.80 for both shoulder scores, with no significant differences between them, and comparable effect-size estimates were observed for the CS and the OSS. Minimal clinically important change ROC values were 6 points for the OSS and 11 points for the CS, with upper 95% cutoff limits of 12 and 22 points, respectively. Conclusion The CS and the OSS were both suitable for assessing improvement after decompression surgery.

Shoulder function and work disability after decompression surgery for subacromial impingement syndrome: a randomised controlled trial of physiotherapy exercises and occupational medical assistance.

BACKGROUND: Surgery for subacromial impingement syndrome is often performed in working age and postoperative physiotherapy exercises are widely used to help restore function. A recent Danish study showed that 10% of a nationwide cohort of patients retired prematurely within two years after surgery. Few studies have compared effects of different postoperative exercise programmes on shoulder function, and no studies have evaluated workplace-oriented interventions to reduce postoperative work disability. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy exercises and occupational medical assistance compared with usual care in improving shoulder function and reducing postoperative work disability after arthroscopic subacromial decompression. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a mainly pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial. The trial is embedded in a cohort study of shoulder patients referred to public departments of orthopaedic surgery in Central Denmark Region. Patients aged ≥18-≤63 years, who still have shoulder symptoms 8-12 weeks after surgery, constitute the study population. Around 130 participants are allocated to: 1) physiotherapy exercises, 2) occupational medical assistance, 3) physiotherapy exercises and occupational medical assistance, and 4) usual care. Intervention manuals allow individual tailoring. Primary outcome measures include Oxford Shoulder Score and sickness absence due to symptoms from the operated shoulder. Randomisation is computerised with allocation concealment by randomly permuted block sizes. Statistical analyses will primarily be performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. DISCUSSION: The paper presents the rationale, design, methods, and operational aspects of the Shoulder Intervention Project (SIP). SIP evaluates a new rehabilitation approach, where physiotherapy and occupational interventions are provided in continuity of surgical episodes of care. If successful, the project may serve as a model for rehabilitation of surgical shoulder patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN55768749.

An expert-based job exposure matrix for large scale epidemiologic studies of primary hip and knee osteoarthritis: the Lower Body JEM.

BACKGROUND: When conducting large scale epidemiologic studies, it is a challenge to obtain quantitative exposure estimates, which do not rely on self-report where estimates may be influenced by symptoms and knowledge of disease status. In this study we developed a job exposure matrix (JEM) for use in population studies of the work-relatedness of hip and knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: Based on all 2227 occupational titles in the Danish version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (D-ISCO 88), we constructed 121 job groups comprising occupational titles with expected homogeneous exposure patterns in addition to a minimally exposed job group, which was not included in the JEM. The job groups were allocated the mean value of five experts' ratings of daily duration (hours/day) of standing/walking, kneeling/squatting, and whole-body vibration as well as total load lifted (kg/day), and frequency of lifting loads weighing ≥20 kg (times/day). Weighted kappa statistics were used to evaluate inter-rater agreement on rankings of the job groups for four of these exposures (whole-body vibration could not be evaluated due to few exposed job groups). Two external experts checked the face validity of the rankings of the mean values. RESULTS: A JEM was constructed and English ISCO codes were provided where possible. The experts' ratings showed fair to moderate agreement with respect to rankings of the job groups (mean weighted kappa values between 0.36 and 0.49). The external experts agreed on 586 of the 605 rankings. CONCLUSION: The Lower Body JEM based on experts' ratings was established. Experts agreed on rankings of the job groups, and rankings based on mean values were in accordance with the opinion of external experts.

Do work-related factors affect care-seeking in general practice for back pain or upper extremity pain?

OBJECTIVES: Musculoskeletal pain conditions remain a major cause of care-seeking in general practice. Not all patients with musculoskeletal pain (MP) seek care at their general practitioner (GP), but for those who do, the GP's knowledge of what work-related factors might have influenced the patient's decision to seek care could be important in order to give more well-founded advice to our patients. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of workloads on care-seeking for back pain or upper extremity pain during an eighteen-month follow-up period. METHODS: This is a prospective study with a baseline questionnaire and eighteen-month follow-up. Among the registered patients of 8 GPs, we identified 8,517 persons between 17 and 65 years of age, who all received the questionnaire. A total of 5,068 (59.5 %) persons answered. During the eighteen months of follow-up, we used the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC) to identify all care-seekers with either back pain or upper extremity pain. Of these, all currently employed persons were included in our analysis, in all 4,325 persons. For analysis, we used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Analyses were stratified by gender. RESULTS: High levels of heavy lifting, defined as the upper tertile on a categorical scale, were associated with care-seeking for back pain (HR 1.90 [95 % CI: 1.14-3.15]) and upper extremity pain (HR 2.09 [95 % CI: 1.30-3.38]) among males, but not in a statistically significant way among females. Repetitive work and psychosocial factors did not have any statistically significant impact on care-seeking for neither back pain nor upper extremity pain. CONCLUSION: Work-related factors such as heavy lifting do, to some extent, contribute to care-seeking with MP. We suggest that asking the patient about physical workloads should be routinely included in consultations dealing with MP.

Cross-cultural adaption and measurement properties of the Danish version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index.

OBJECTIVE: To cross-culturally adapt the Danish version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and to evaluate its measurement properties in terms of reliability and known-group validity. DESIGN: Test-retest study. SETTING: Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Regional Hospital Herning, Denmark. SUBJECTS: Consecutive shoulder patients referred to an outpatient clinic. METHODS: The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index was translated from English into Danish according to international guidelines. The questionnaire was posted to patients one to two weeks before their scheduled clinical examination and repeated on the day of the examination. RESULTS: A total of 65 patients with a variety of shoulder diagnoses were included in the study. No significant differences were found in scores between the first and the second questionnaire. The minimal detectable change was estimated to 19.4 points, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.88 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.94). Internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha was 0.94. The questionnaire was found to discriminate well between currently working and non-working patients. CONCLUSION: The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index provides a sensitive and reliable tool to assess pain and disability in Danish-speaking orthopaedic shoulder patients.

The significance of health anxiety and somatization in care-seeking for back and upper extremity pain.

BACKGROUND: Patients with musculoskeletal pain account for a large number of consultations in primary care. Improving our understanding of factors that make patients seek care could be of interest in decision making and prevention in the health care system. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to examine if health anxiety, somatization and fear-avoidance beliefs were of importance for care-seeking with either back pain or upper extremity pain and to look at possible differences between the two groups. METHODS: This is a prospective study with a baseline questionnaire and 18 months follow-up. Using the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC), we identified care-seekers with either back pain or upper extremity pain among the potential patients of eight GPs. For analysis, we used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Analysis was stratified by gender. RESULTS: We found that previous regional pain was a strong predictor of care-seeking. Somatization was associated with seeking care for back pain. Health anxiety was a predictor among women suffering from back pain. Only previous pain was a predictor of care-seeking for upper extremity pain. CONCLUSION: The study implies that prevention of back pain and upper extremity pain requires different strategies and that gender and health anxieties should be taken into account.

Predictors of health related job loss: a two-year follow-up study in a general working population.

INTRODUCTION: Job loss may be attributed to a number of causes. The medical profession is often involved in counselling or case work when citizens are excluded from work for health reasons. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of health related job loss (HRJL) in a cohort of Danish employees. METHODS: A total of 39 workplaces with 5,604 employees aged from 18 to 67 years participated. Questionnaires were obtained at baseline and follow up. Participants reported reason for job loss whilst employers' information provided the date. Hazard Ratios (HR) for HRJL with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were analysed. RESULTS: 4006 responses were obtained at baseline (71.5%), and 3,276 (81.8%) at follow up. About 567 (17.3%) had lost their job, and 135 (23.8%) reported HRJL. 51.5% of HRJL was related to pain, disease, or discomfort in the neck, the back, arms, or legs, and another 23% to stress or stress related symptoms. HRJL involved low reemployment rate compared to non-HRJL. After multiple mutual adjustments, HRJL among females was associated with reports of a work compensation claim within the year previous to baseline (HR 3.0; 95% CI 1.6-5.1), high level of health anxiety (3.7; 2.1-6.6), one or more contacts to the general practitioner in the year previous to baseline (2.2;1.4-3.6), and reported poor leadership quality at work (1.8;1.2-2.9). Among males, HRJL was associated with high levels of health anxiety (2.5; 1.0-6.2) and repetitive work (2.7; 1.4-5.4). CONCLUSION: About 4% of employees experienced HRJL, which was associated with care seeking and high levels of health anxiety. Further studies of gender differences in HRJL are warranted.

Reduction of pain-related disability in working populations: a randomized intervention study of the effects of an educational booklet addressing psychosocial risk factors and screening workplaces for physical health hazards.

STUDY DESIGN: Cluster randomized controlled trial with 6 and 8 quarters of follow-up. OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of giving evidence-based information addressing psychosocial risk factors for pain-related disability and of screening workplaces for physical health hazards at work on reducing new episodes and duration of pain-related and general absence taking. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The "flag strategy" for handling low back pain problems is recommended in many Western countries but, so far, randomized intervention studies addressing psychosocial risk factors for disability related to low back pain show mixed results. METHODS: We followed employees from 39 different work sites in western Denmark, who had received interventions consisting of either a carefully prepared booklet providing evidence-based information on common musculoskeletal pain problems alone or in combination with systematic workplace screening for physical work hazards. Absence due to pain for at least 7 days and the cumulative numbers of absence days were the main outcome measures. General absence taking was analyzed, too. Company registrations of sickness absence in combination with self-report on the cause of a given absence spell was used to inform absence spells. RESULTS: A total of 3808 of 4006 eligible employees provided information. Among 1063 participants in the control arm, 1458 in the information arm, and 1287 in the information and workplace screening arm, 4.6%, 6.9%, and 4.6%, respectively, experienced pain-related absence, and 27.8%, 27.2%, and 24.0%, respectively, experienced general absence taking during follow-up. No positive effect on the risk of the 2 measures of absence or on the cumulative duration of absence among cases was seen. CONCLUSION: Results did not support population-based interventions addressing psychosocial risk factors for pain-related disability alone or in combination with workplace screening as effective in reducing the risk of pain-related absence taking or the duration of absence.