Original Research Article

Short-Term Outcome of Combined Corticosteriod and Local Anaestetic Therapy with Home-Based Exercıse Programme in Painful Shoulder Conditions

S Toker¹, V Kılınçoğlu¹, A Toker²,  E Gulcan³*, E Ertürer⁴, L Sahin⁵

¹Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Dumlupinar University School of Medicine, ²Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Yoncali Physical Therapy and Hidrotherapy Hospital ³Department of Internal Medicine, Dumlupinar University School of Medicine, ⁴Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Sisli Etfal Research and Training Hospital, ⁵Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Dumlupinar University School of Medicine, 43000 Kutahya, Turkey.

*Corresponding author: E-mail: drerimgulcan@gmail.com  Tel:+90 02742652031-1719 Fax:+90 02742652277

Received: 18 July 2008                                                                          Revised accepted: 10 September 2008               

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined local corticosteroid and anaestethic therapy with home exercise programme in the treatment of painful shoulder conditions.

Methods: 40 mg Depomedrol^® (methylprednisolone acetate) + 120 mg Citanest^® (procaine hydrochloride) were parenterally administered into the subacromial region of 28 patients (17 female, mean age: 48 years;   11 male, mean age: 52 years) from a group of patients who have been suffering from shoulder pain for a period of at least two months and had received no benefit from previous treatments. Simultaneously, they were placed on a home-based shoulder exercise programme. The patients were seen two months later and questioned about their conditions. The data were  evaluated together with clinical findings based on the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder.

Results: Twenty of 28 patients (71.42%) reported complete relief from pain, 5 patients or 17.85% stated that they had only partial relief of pain, and 3 patients (10.71%) said that the level of pain remained essentially the same. Nineteen of 28 patients (67.85%) had good to excellent ROM while 3 (10.71%) still manifested poor ROM.

Conclusion: Local corticosteroid plus local anaesthetic therapy together with home exercise programme was found to be an economic, effective and safe short-term treatment in the management of painful shoulder conditions arising from certain disorders.

Key Words: Painful shoulder, Local corticosteroid, Local anaesthetic, Home exercise programe, Range of motion.