Static progressive stretch is effective in treating shoulder adhesive capsulitis: Prospective,
randomized, controlled study with a two-year follow-up
Sammanfattning
Static progressive stretch (SPS) devices are used to restore shoulder functional mobility in
patients with adhesive capsulitis.
The purpose of this prospective, randomized, blinded, controlled, clinical study was to compare
traditional physical
therapy alone with a combination of traditional physical therapy and SPS device use in the treatment
of shoulder adhesive
capsulitis. Sixty patients diagnosed with shoulder adhesive capsulitis were randomly assigned to
either the control group
( n 30) or experimental group ( n 30). Both groups received three physical therapy sessions per
week for 4 weeks, while
the experimental group used in addition a SPS device for 4 weeks. Shoulder active and passive
abduction, and passive
external rotation range of motion (ROM) degrees, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH)
scores, and visual
analog scale (VAS) pain scores were recorded for all patients at baseline, and at 4, 12, 24, 52 and 104
weeks later. At
104 weeks from baseline, statistical analysis demonstrated that traditional physical therapy and the
SPS device resulted in
signifi cantly increased mean shoulder active and passive abduction, and passive external rotation
ROM degrees, and reduced
mean DASH scores compared to traditional physical therapy alone ( p 0.001). Although the mean VAS
scores were markedly
reduced in both groups, the difference between the two was not signifi cant ( p 0.05). At 104 weeks,
the mean shoulder
active abduction remained increased by 111 °, passive abduction by 79 ° and passive external
rotation by 66 °, the mean
DASH scores remained decreased by 97% and VAS pain scores by 71% in the experimental group
compared to 33 °, 49 °
and 28 °, 50% and 63%, respectively, in the control group. In conclusion, this study showed lasting
favorable effects of the
SPS device used with traditional physical therapy in treating subjects with shoulder adhesive
capsulitis.