Acupuncture Therapy in Patients With Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapy in Patients With Subacromial Impingement Syndrome, Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial

Shoulder pain is highly prevalent within general population, and shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) is a common cause of shoulder pain. A small number of clinical and methodologically diverse trials have been published recently which show little evidence to support or refute the use of acupuncture for shoulder pain. Some researchers concluded, there is a need for further well-designed clinical trials. Our aim in this study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment on pain, range of motion, functionality and quality of life in patients diagnosed with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome as a result of clinical and radiological tests.

A randomized, prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial will be conducted. Patients diagnosed with shoulder impingement syndrome will be divided into two groups (acupuncture and placebo acupuncture) The evaluation will be performed at treatment initiation and at the end of the treatment and 1 month after treatment initiation.All patients will be evaluated by the same physiatrist who are blinded to the randomization process and treatment protocols.Primary outcome is pain which will be evaulated with visual analogue scale (VAS) for rest, activity, and sleep-disturbing. Secondary outcomes are shoulder range of motion in all groups will be evaluated with goniometer, shoulder function which will be evaulated with the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score (QuickDash) and quality of life in all groups will be evaluated with The Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinical diagnosis of Subacromial impingement syndrome
• Age range from 20-65 years
• Pain VAS ≥ 4
• Shoulder impingement symptoms lasting at least 6 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of other shoulder pathologies
• Previous applications of physiotherapy and injection of hyaluronic acid and/or corticosteroid during the preceding 3 months;
• Presence of cervical pain or other conditions such as fibromyalgia confusing the clinical picture
• Presence of malignancy, blood disorder, neurologic, motor, and/or sensory deficit in the upper extremity;
• Pregnancy,
• Local anesthetic allergy
• Previous acupuncture treatment
• History of deformities, fractures, or surgery of the shoulder