THE COURSE OF PAIN AND THE RESTRICTION OF MOBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH SHOULDER COMPLAINTS IN GENERAL-PRACTICE

The objective of this research was to study the course of the pain and the restriction of mobility of the scapulohumeral joint (ROM) over ti me, and the factors influencing it, in patients with shoulder complain ts in general practice. A total of 101 patients participated in this 2 5-week follow-up study. For the first 2 weeks, a non-steroidal anti-in flammatory drug (NSAID) was prescribed, after that period the physicia n could follow his usual therapeutic approach. The NSAIDs prescribed d uring the first 2 weeks resulted in a rapid decrease in the pain and t he ROM. The group with the most severe pain consumed the most tablets, which resulted in a significant decrease in the pain and the ROM. It appeared that the course of the pain from week 2 to week 8 was signifi cantly influenced by pain at inclusion, diagnosis and therapy. The mos t rapid decrease in the ROM appeared in the first 2 weeks. At week 0 a nd week 2, differences in the ROM were seen in the subgroups for diagn osis, pain score and age. The pain and the ROM showed most decrease in the first weeks. After 6 weeks hardly any changes were seen in the pa in score and the ROM score. The margin of the pain score and the ROM s core between the ''cured'' and the ''not cured'' patients was a very n arrow one.