title: Subacromial corticosteroid injection on poststroke hemiplegic shoulder pain: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of subacromial corticosteroid injection on hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicenter, randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three primary and 1 university-affiliated tertiary-care hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Poststroke HSP patients (N=58) with evidence of rotator cuff disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomly assigned to receive ultrasound-guided subacromial injection with triamcinolone 40mg (treatment group, n=29), or lidocaine (placebo group, n=29). After a single injection, participants were followed up for 8 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Visual analog scale (VAS) of the average shoulder pain level at day and night (VAS-day/night, the primary outcome measures), Modified Barthel Index, Shoulder Disability Questionnaire (SDQ), and angles of shoulder active range of motion (flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation) at pretreatment and weeks 2, 4, and 8 posttreatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the main outcome measures at pretreatment. Compared with the placebo group, VAS-day/night, SDQ, flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation showed significant improvement in the treatment group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy of subacromial injection in HSP patients with evidence of rotator cuff disorder. Subacromial corticosteroid injection showed improvement in pain, disability, and active range of motion, and the duration of its efficacy continued up to 8 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ajou University School of Medicine and Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ueon Woo
authors.initials: UW
authors.lastname: Rah
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Do Jun
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Kyu-Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kwack
authors.forename: Ji Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yong Cheol
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Bohyun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Joen
mesh_terms: D000173:Acromioclavicular Joint / Q000187:drug effects; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014221:Triamcinolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler
chemical_list: D014221:Triamcinolone