Shoulder pain syndrome among nigerians

Abstract

Objectives: To identify aetiological causes of shoulder pain syndrome among patients attending a rheumatology clinic, and to highlight the therapeutic options. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: A private rheumatology clinic in Lagos, Nigeria from January 2002 to December 2006. Subjects: Forty female adult patients and 26 male adult patients aged 24-79 years. Main outcome measures: Patient reported outcome in terms of pain relief and increased mobility. Results: Sixty six subjects were seen during the study period. Females were more commonly affected and were mostly middle aged. Adhesive capsulitis was the most common condition while septic arthritis and avascular necrosis were least diagnosed 22.7% of the subjects could not, however, be categorised. Conclusion: Shoulder pain syndrome is common among Nigerians. Diagnosis and management are mostly based on the clinical presentations, especially considering the lack of sensitivity of plain radiographs and the high cost of more sensitive MRI. The treatment of these conditions are standard.