Shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries in the working population. Presently, no clear evidence exists on best practices for appropriate and efficient management of shoulder injuries.
The overall study goal is to determine best practices for management of shoulder pathology. The study will examine how often non-operative management is successful in resolving symptoms and allowing subjects to return to work and activity without surgery and if patients who require surgery can be identified at initial assessment or within the preliminary phase of treatment. We will examine if there are subject, pathology, or work- related characteristics that affect the outcome of rehabilitation and determine whether patients should be referred to operative or non-operative management at time of assessment. At study completion, we will use the findings to develop an algorithm for best management of patients with shoulder pathology. This algorithm will be tested in a future randomized trial.
We hope to develop an evidence-based treatment algorithm to aid clinical decision-making. This clinical tool can be used by primary care physicians to facilitate appropriate and efficient management of this large group of patients, including setting realistic recovery expectations and expediting referral for surgery when appropriate. Ultimately, this will lower costs to employers for work productivity lost and to the health care system through efficient resource allocation.