Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Apr;8(2):77-89.
doi: 10.1177/1758573215622385. Epub 2016 Jan 8.

Is there sufficient evidence to support intervention to manage shoulder arthritis?

Damian Bull  1 , Andrew Tai Kie  1 , Birgit Hanusch  1 , Rohit Kulkarni  2 , Jonathan Rees  3 , Amar Rangan  1
Affiliations
Review

Is there sufficient evidence to support intervention to manage shoulder arthritis?

Damian Bull et al. Shoulder Elbow. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

Background: We explore the nature, extent and validity of research studies concerning the management of shoulder arthritis to identify whether current management recommendations are adequate.

Methods: A full electronic search for relevant studies published between 2002 and 2012 was performed. The search focused on level 1 and level 2 studies. Full texts of selected articles were retrieved and assessed for quality against validated criteria.

Results: Four hundred and eleven studies were identified on the initial search and screened. Sixteen studies were selected for inclusion in the review. The studies identified were unable to provide a clear indication of best intervention for shoulder arthritis. The inclusion of a range of shoulder pathologies in some studies and the diversity in outcome measures used made it difficult for systematic reviews to effectively pool data. Better outcomes have been shown with total shoulder replacement over hemiarthroplasty for shoulder osteoarthritis; however, primary studies were often of limited quality. Sparse evidence is available for all other interventions, regardless of whether operative or non-operative.

Conclusions: The present review highlights the need for standardization of outcome assessment following treatment of shoulder arthritis. More rigorous and robust primary studies are needed to guide clinical practice on the best interventions for arthritis of the shoulder.

Keywords: hemiarthroplasty; osteoarthritis; reverse; shoulder; tenodesis; total.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Urwin M, Symmons D, Allison T, et al. Estimating the burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the community: the comparative prevalence of symptoms at different anatomical sites, and the relation to social deprivation. Ann Rheum Dis 1998; 57: 649–55. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Royal College of General Practitioners; Office of Populations, Censuses and Surveys. Third national morbidity survey in general practice, 1980–1981. Department of Health and Social Security, Series MB5 No 1. London: HMSO.
    1. Ravenscroft M, Calvert P. Utilisation of shoulder arthroplasty in the UK. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2004; 86: 25–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kim SH, Wise BL, Zhang Y, Szabo RM. Increasing incidence of shoulder arthroplasty in the United States. J Bone and Joint Surg Am 2011; 93: 2249–54. - PubMed
    1. Arksey H, O’Malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol 2005; 8: 19–32.

LinkOut - more resources