A comparison of the effects of exercise and lifestyle modification on the resolution of overuse symptoms of the shoulder in polio survivors: a preliminary study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the effectiveness of exercise and lifestyle modification therapy in treating shoulder symptoms in polio survivors with lower-extremity weakness.

DESIGN:

A randomized parallel group study.

SETTING:

Research laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS:

Twenty-three subjects recruited from a cohort of 194 polio survivors who had participated in a previous study had bilateral hip-extensor and knee-extensor weakness and reported experiencing shoulder pain on a regular basis with daily activity.

INTERVENTIONS:

Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups. Members of group 1 were placed on a home exercise program that focused on strengthening their hip and knee extensors. Members of group 2 were instructed in lifestyle modification techniques designed to avoid shoulder overuse. Members of group 3 received both interventions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Shoulder symptoms were quantified in terms of number and severity. Isometric strength of bilateral hip and knee extensors was measured with a hand-held dynamometer.

RESULTS:

Symptoms improved in all 3 groups. However, members of the exercise-only group (group 1) were the only ones to show a significant difference in both number and severity of symptoms when pre- and posttreatment values were compared.

CONCLUSIONS:

Both exercise and lifestyle modification therapies that focus on reducing the stress related to lower-extremity weakness are effective in treating shoulder overuse symptoms in polio survivors. A trend toward greater improvement in shoulder symptoms in subjects who participated in the exercise program and who also showed a trend toward increased knee-extensor strength supports muscle strength and/or endurance as a key factor.

• Authors: Mary G Klein, John Whyte, Albert Esquenazi, Mary Ann Keenan, Roberta Costello
• Journal: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation (Arch Phys Med Rehabil) Vol. 83 Issue 5 Pg. 708-13 (May 2002) ISSN: 0003-9993 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11994812 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: Copyright 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Topics

• Aged
• Cumulative Trauma Disorders (etiology, physiopathology, rehabilitation)
• Exercise Therapy
• Female
• Hip (physiopathology)
• Humans
• Knee (physiopathology)
• Life Style
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Muscle, Skeletal (physiopathology)
• Poliomyelitis (complications, physiopathology, rehabilitation)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Shoulder Injuries
• Shoulder Joint (physiopathology)
• Treatment Outcome