Treatment of arm, neck, and/or shoulder complaints in physical therapy practice.
METHODS
This is a prospective cohort study with a follow-up period of 6 months.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the interventions applied by physical therapists in treating patients with complaints of the arm, neck, and/or shoulder.


BACKGROUND
Complaints of the arm, neck, and/or shoulder occur frequently and are usually treated within primary care. Many patients with these complaints are treated with physical therapy.


METHODS
During a 1-year period, the participating physiotherapists included new consulters with musculoskeletal complaints of the upper extremity. The patients completed a questionnaire at baseline, and the physical therapists completed a treatment record for up to 6 months.


RESULTS
Of the 624 patients included in the cohort, physical therapists provided treatment data of 619 patients. The main treatment consisted of exercise therapy (93%) and massage (87%), or a combination of both. More patients with specific complaints received physical methods, and patients with nonspecific complaints were treated with manipulation techniques.


CONCLUSIONS
The primary treatment of complaints the of arm, neck, and/or shoulder in physiotherapy practice consists of exercise therapy and massage therapy, mostly being a combination of both. Future studies should focus on the effectiveness of exercise therapies, combined or not combined with massage, for patients with complaints of the arm, neck, and/or shoulder.
Karels
Celinde H
CH
Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. c.karels@erasmusmc.nl
Polling
Wendy
W
Bierma-Zeinstra
Sita M A
SM
Burdorf
Alex
A
Verhagen
Arianne P
AP
Koes
Bart W
BW
D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009333:Neck; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011364:Professional Practice; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012782:Shoulder