Development of a Clinical Prediction Rule to Identify Patients With Shoulder Pain Likely to Benefit From Cervicothoracic Manipulation
Development of a Clinical Prediction Rule to Identify Patients With Shoulder Pain Likely to Benefit From Cervicothoracic Manipulation
The investigators seek to develop a clinical prediction rule (CPR) to identify patients with
 a primary complaint of shoulder pain who are likely to benefit from manual therapy to the
 neck and upper back regions. Manual therapy will include mobilizations (therapist moves the
 joints in an oscillating fashion) and manipulations (therapist performs a high velocity low
 amplitude movement) The investigators hypothesize that a cluster of signs and symptoms from
 the subject history and physical examination will exist that maximize the accuracy of
 identifying patients with a primary complaint of shoulder pain likely to benefit from this
 manual therapy treatment based on a reference standard of patient-reported improvement.

 The investigators also seek to investigate the psychometric properties (how good a test is),
 including test retest reliability of a modified version of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs
 Questionnaire (FABQ) and the shortened Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) in patients
 with shoulder pain. The investigators will also look at the convergent validity (determine if
 measures that should be related are in reality related) and discriminant validity (show that
 measures that should not be related are in reality not related) of the modified FABQ and the
 TSK-11 in patients with shoulder pain.
The point prevalence of shoulder symptoms has been reported to range from 20-33% and the
 incidence of shoulder complaints in the general population is increasing. Furthermore,
 several authors have reported low rates of perceived recovery (patient reports of "being
 cured") for patients with a new episode of shoulder or neck pain.3-6 According to Bot et al,
 less than 25% of patients with a first episode of shoulder pain reported recovery after 3
 months, and only 32% stated they had recovered (no longer had symptoms) after 1 year. Other
 studies have investigated the prognosis of shoulder pain in general practice. Croft et al
 reported recovery rates of only 21% after 6 months and 49% after 18 months. Van der Windt et
 al and Winters et al reported recovery rates of 51% and 59% after 12 to 18 months,
 respectively. Finally, Rekola et al reported that 25% of patients with shoulder or neck pain
 experienced at least one episode of recurrence within 12 months. These findings suggest that
 shoulder pain can be recurrent and frequently progresses to the chronic stage.

 The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice describes 5 components of patient management;
 examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, interventions and outcomes. Information
 collected during the examination is evaluated in an attempt to improve decision making
 regarding the most appropriate treatment strategy for the individual patient. Contrary to the
 medical model which attempts to identify pathology to arrive at a diagnosis, the diagnostic
 process in physical therapy involves classifying or labeling patients based on functional
 limitations (restrictions in activities caused by a certain condition) and impairments (loss
 or abnormality in function such as decreased strength or motion) in an attempt to
 specifically direct treatment. Clinical decision making regarding treatment involves a
 certain degree of uncertainty as to which interventions will maximize individual patient
 outcomes. While the amount of quality evidence supporting physical therapy interventions is
 increasing, this uncertainty can make it difficult to decide on an appropriate treatment
 strategy. The American Physical Therapy Association has stated that identifying subgroups of
 patients who are likely to benefit from specific treatments is a research priority. (APTA)
 The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice indicates that interventions such as
 mobilization/manipulation are utilized by physical therapists to manage patients who have
 shoulder pain. There is growing evidence that impairments in the cervicothoracic spine may
 contribute to shoulder pain, and that patients with shoulder pain may benefit from
 manipulation in this region. Manipulation is defined as a manual therapy technique comprising
 a continuum of skilled passive movements, including small-amplitude/high velocity movements
 (thrust) and oscillations (non-thrust), that is targeted at joints and soft tissues.

 While it is not likely that all patients who have with shoulder pain will benefit from
 manipulation (thrust and non-thrust) of the cervicothoracic spine, it is possible that a
 subgroup exists that will experience rapid and dramatic improvement with the use of these
 manual physical therapy techniques. It is our specific aim to develop a clinical prediction
 rule (CPR) to identify patients with a primary complaint of shoulder pain who are likely to
 benefit from cervicothoracic manipulation. The purpose of a CPR is to improve the clinician's
 accuracy in predicting a diagnosis or an expected outcome. For example, CPRs exist to improve
 the accuracy of diagnosing ankle fractures in individuals with acute injuries,predict the
 likelihood of death within four years for individuals with coronary disease, or determine
 when cervical radiographs are required for patients who have experienced neck trauma. The
 process of developing and testing a CPR has been described in detail elsewhere. Although CPRs
 can be developed to improve the accuracy of making a certain diagnosis, the focus of this
 project is to develop a CPR to predict a certain treatment outcome. The development of a CPR
 utilizes diagnostic properties of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative
 likelihood ratios, which are based on the individual patient. Thus their interpretation can
 be readily applied to an individual patient. Development of a CPR to accurately predict which
 patients with shoulder pain will likely experience a clinically meaningful improvement in
 pain and function with cervicothoracic spine manipulation before treatment would be immensely
 helpful for clinicians in the decision-making process. Thus the purpose of this project is to
 develop a CPR to identify patients with shoulder pain likely to benefit from cervicothoracic
 spine thrust and non-thrust manipulation.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Primary complaint of shoulder pain (defined as pain between the neck and the elbow at
 rest or during movement of the upper arm, see diagram at right)

 -  Age between 18-65 years old

 -  Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) score greater than 20 points (full
 description of this measure provided in self report measures section)

 Exclusion criteria:

 -  Medical red flags noted in the patient's Medical Screening Questionnaire(i.e. tumor,
 fracture, metabolic diseases, RA, osteoporosis, weight loss, fever, prolonged history
 of steroid use, etc.)

 -  Acute fractures in the shoulder region.

 -  Acute severe trauma to the cervical (neck) or thoracic (upper back) regions in the
 last 6 weeks.

 -  Contraindications to manipulative therapy (for example osteoporosis of the
 cervicothoracic spine).

 -  Evidence of central nervous system involvement, to include hyperreflexia, sensory
 disturbances in the hand, intrinsic muscle wasting of the hands, unsteadiness during
 walking, nystagmus, loss of visual acuity, impaired sensation of the face, altered
 taste, the presence of pathological reflexes (i.e. positive Hoffman's and/or Babinski
 reflexes), etc.

 -  Diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis or bilateral upper extremity symptoms

 -  Two or more positive neurologic signs consistent with nerve root compression,
 including any two of the following:

 Muscle weakness involving a major muscle group of the upper extremity Diminished upper
 extremity muscle stretch reflex (biceps brachii, brachioradialis, or triceps brachii
 reflexes) Diminished or absent sensation to pinprick in any upper extremity dermatome

 -  Prior surgery to the neck or thoracic spine involving fusion or open reduction
 internal fixation.

 -  Insufficient English language skills to complete all questionnaires as they have only
 been validated in English.

 -  Inability to comply with treatment and follow-up schedule