[The painful hemiplegic shoulder: effects of exercises program according to Bobath].
OBJECTIVE
To verify whether a shoulder exercises program according to Bobath reduced the shoulder pain in hemiplegic patients.


METHODS
We studied a total of 20 patients with pain shoulder. Ten patients are assigned to group R (submitted to rehabilitation) and ten to group R+E (submitted to rehabilitation and shoulder exercises program according to Bobath). Shoulder exercises program was self-performed by the patients after training in occupational rehabilitation unit. The assessment of patients was performed at admission to hospital, at discharge and three months after discharge. Shoulder pain (VAS), shoulder range of motion, disability (FIM), motor function (Fugl-Meyer scale) and spasticity (Ashworth scale) of paretic arm were evaluated in all patients.


RESULTS
VAS was similar in both groups at admission and decreased in group R+E at discharge without reaching significant differences (p=0.253). On the contrary, VAS and Shoulder range of motion improved statistically in group R+E (p=0.0001, p<0.04 respectively) after three months. The others variables measured did not change.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that a shoulder exercises program according to Bobath reduces shoulder pain of patients with hemiplegia if it is performed daily and for a long period of time.
Gialanella
B
B
Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Clinica del Lavoro e della Riabilitazione, IRCCS, Istituto di Gussago, Divisione di Recupero e Rieducazione Funzionale, Gussago, Italia. bgialanella@fsm.it
Benvenuti
P
P
Santoro
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D059408:Pain Management