Arthrographic distension for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
One page on PainSci cites Buchbinder 2008: Complete Guide to Frozen Shoulder
PainSci commentary on Buchbinder 2008: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
This scientific review of just five trials of distension (joint capsule inflation) for frozen shoulder makes it sound almost promising: “silver” (ooh!) evidence of “short-term benefits in pain, range of movement and function” but “it is uncertain whether this is better than alternative interventions.”
“Silver” is a pretty-sounded overstatement, and “uncertain” is a huge understatement, and longer term results are much more important than short term. As of 2008, this treatment method has not really been studied at all, and no meaningful conclusions were possible then.
Since then (as of 2016), only one more important study has been published that I know of (Clement 2013): it did measure term results, and the results were promising.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
BACKGROUND: Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder or painful stiff shoulder) is characterised by spontaneous onset of shoulder pain accompanied by progressive stiffness and disability. It is usually self-limiting but often has a prolonged course over two to three years.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness and safety of arthrographic distension of the glenohumeral joint in the treatment of adults with adhesive capsulitis.
SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE to November 2006, unrestricted by date or language.
SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials and controlled clinical trials comparing arthrographic distension with placebo or other interventions.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data.
MAIN RESULTS: Five trials with 196 people were included. One three-arm trial (47 participants) compared arthrographic distension using steroid and air to distension using air alone and to steroid injection alone. One trial (46 participants) compared arthrographic distension using steroid and saline to placebo. Two trials (45 and 22 participants) compared arthrographic distension using steroid to steroid injection alone. One trial (36 participants) compared arthrographic distension using steroid and saline plus physical therapy to physical therapy alone. Trials included similar study participants, but quality and reporting of data were variable. Only one trial was at low risk of bias. No meta-analysis was performed.The trial with low risk of bias demonstrated that distension with saline and steroid was better than placebo for pain (number needed to treat to benefit (NNTB) = 2), function (NNTB = 3) and range of movement at three weeks. This benefit was maintained at six and 12 weeks only for one of two scores measuring function (NNT = 3). A second trial with high risk of bias also reported that distension combined with physical therapy improved range of movement and median percent improvement in pain (but not pain score) at eight weeks compared to physical therapy alone. Three further trials, all at high risk of bias, reported conflicting, variable effects of arthrographic distension with steroid compared to distension alone, and arthrographic distension with steroid compared to intra-articular steroid injection. The trials reported a small number of minor adverse effects, mainly pain during and after the procedure.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is "silver" level evidence that arthrographic distension with saline and steroid provides short-term benefits in pain, range of movement and function in adhesive capsulitis. It is uncertain whether this is better than alternative interventions.
related content
- “Frozen shoulder: long-term outcome following arthrographic distension,” Clement et al, Acta Orthop Belg, 2013.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (the NEAT trial): a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Kirwan 2024 Br J Sports Med.
- Placebo analgesia in physical and psychological interventions: Systematic review and meta-analysis of three-armed trials. Hohenschurz-Schmidt 2024 Eur J Pain.
- Recovery trajectories in common musculoskeletal complaints by diagnosis contra prognostic phenotypes. Aasdahl 2021 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Moderators of the effect of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Holden 2023 The Lancet Rheumatology.