Study of Neurocognitive Therapeutic Exercise in the Shoulder Impingement Syndrome in Comparison With Traditional Therapeutic Exercise

Study of Neurocognitive Therapeutic Exercise in the Shoulder Impingement Syndrome in Comparison With Traditional Therapeutic Exercise

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Neurocognitive Therapeutic Exercise in Pain Control and Functional Recovery of the Shoulder Impingement Syndrome in Comparison With Traditional Therapeutic Exercise

It is a single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of neurocognitive therapeutic exercise in subjects affected by shoulder impingement syndrome in comparison with traditional therapeutic exercise. The traditional exercise protocol contains mainly strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, Codman's pendulum exercises and exercises against elastic band resistance. The neurocognitive exercise protocol contains ten exercises involving specific instruments (e.g., table inclined with a board with five concentric circles, sponges of various texture). Each subject, randomly assigned to either neurocognitive therapeutic exercise (group 1) or traditional therapeutic exercise (group 2), will be submitted to one-hour session for three times a week for five weeks. The outcome measures used will be the Quick-DASH questionnaire, the Constant-Murley shoulder outcome score, the ASES score, a visual analogic scale (VAS) and the assessment will be performed at baseline (T0), at the end of treatment protocol (T1), at 3 months (T2) and 6 months (T3) from the end of treatment.

conservative treatment, shoulder, neurocognitive therapeutic exercise, traditional therapeutic exercise, pain

The traditional exercise protocol contains mainly strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, Codman's pendulum exercises and exercises against elastic band resistance.

The neurocognitive exercise protocol contains ten exercises involving specific instruments (e.g., table inclined with a board with five concentric circles, sponges of various texture).

Ten exercises involving specific instruments (e.g., table inclined with a board with five concentric circles, sponges of various texture). One-hour session for three times a week for five weeks.

Different exercises as strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, Codman's pendulum exercises and exercises against elastic band resistance. One-hour session for three times a week for five weeks

changing of the Quick-DASH, the short form of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire

changing of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Society standardized shoulder assessment form (ASES) score

Inclusion Criteria: Subjects with shoulder impingement syndrome established by clinical examination, X-ray in anteroposterior, axillary and outlet views, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or echography. Exclusion Criteria: Rotator cuff and/or subscapularis tendon partial/full-thickness tears, capsulolabral pathology responsive to surgical repair, congenital abnormalities of the acromion, previous surgery on the affected shoulder, inflammatory or neurological (systemic or local) diseases involving shoulder girdles, cognitive or psychiatric disorders, local tumor metastasis or application of radiotherapy, acute infections or osseous tuberculosis.