The clinical course of shoulder pain: prospective cohort study in primary care

Abstract

Twelve general practitioners recruited 166 patients who consulted with a new episode of shoulder pain during one year. They recorded demographic information, diagnosis, management, and an assessment of passive elevation of the shoulder; patients assessed the disability associated with their symptoms with a validated 22 item disability questionnaire.2 To assess outcome, identical disability questionnaires were sent to patients six and 18 months after consultation, together with a question measuring self assessed change in symptoms in the intervening period.