THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) For adults with a first-time traumatic shoulder dislocation, advice plus physical therapy appears to be no better than advice with the option to self-refer to physical therapy, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in The BMJ. Rebecca S. Kearney, Ph.D., from the University of Bristol in
Objective To assess the effects of an additional programme of physiotherapy in adults with a first-time traumatic shoulder dislocation compared with single session of advice, supporting materials, and option to self-refer to physiotherapy.
Design Pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial (ARTISAN).
Setting and participants Trauma research teams at 41 UK NHS Trust sites screened adults with a first time traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation confirmed radiologically, being managed non-operatively. People were excluded if they presented with both shoulders dislocated, had a neurovascular complication, or were considered for surgical management.
Interventions One session of advice, supporting materials, and option to self-refer to physiotherapy (n=240) was assessed against the same advice and supporting materials and an additional programme of physiotherapy (n=242). Analyses were on an intention-to-treat basis with secondary per protocol analyses.
Main outcome measures The