Effectiveness of exercise rehabilitation from the hospital to the community in individuals with shoulder disorders: a study protocol

Abstract

Background Rotator cuff injury (RCI) and adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (ACS) are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) characterized by limited motion of the shoulder. As symptoms of MSDs worsen over time, constant management and exercise are necessary. We hypothesized that shoulder pain can be managed through full-cycle rehabilitation exercises. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to confirm the effect of full-cycle rehabilitation exercises by providing exercise education in the community after hospital exercise intervention in subjects with RCI and ACS. Methods This is the protocol for a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Sixty subjects with shoulder pain will be recruited from the rehabilitation clinics of an urban medical hospital. Then, subjects will be randomly allocated into two groups. The intervention group will underwent 12 weeks of rehabilitation exercises in both the hospital and community, while the control group will conduct home exercises for 4 weeks using videos provided by the researchers. The main outcomes will be the change in shoulder pain and score of activities of daily living from initial evaluation to 3 months. The secondary outcomes will be functional measurements, such as ROM and the Manual Muscle Test (MMT), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores, and will include subject-reported outcomes at multi-time points up to 3 months after the intervention. Discussion This is a randomized controlled trial to study the effectiveness of full-cycle rehabilitation exercises for shoulder pain. The results of this study will determine whether exercise from the hospital to the community is effective in subjects with RCI or ACS and will present evidence for the proper community connection guidelines for sustainable rehabilitation. Trial registration: