Effectiveness of a self-administered rehabilitation program for shoulder pain syndrome in primary health care

Background: Shoulder pain syndrome (SPS) is frequent and management in primary care is precarious, with a high rate of referral without adequate treatment, overloading rehabilitation and orthopedic services. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of a self-administered rehabilitation program in adults with shoulder pain syndrome in primary care. Patients and Methods: A randomized, single-blind clinical trial (evaluators) with an experimental group (self-administered rehabilitation) and a control group (standard physical therapy) was carried out in 271 adult patients aged 18 or older with unilateral shoulder pain lasting more than six weeks and less than three months. The primary outcome was the recovery perceived by the patient. Constant score for function, quality of life using SF-36, simple shoulder test (SST) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score were also calculated at six, 12 and 24 weeks of follow-up. Results: The self-administered rehabilitation program showed an adjusted effectiveness of 51% at the end of treatment compared to 54% of the standard physical therapy (p > 0.05). No differences in the evolution of the other scores assessed were observed between groups. Conclusions: A self-administered rehabilitation program for painful shoulder was non-inferior than usual physical therapy.