Assessment of the impact of individual therapy on upper limb function in patients diagnosed with painful shoulder syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Functional disorders of the shoulder girdle affect 1/3 of the population. The diagnosis of "painful shoulder" or shoulder impingement syndrome is vague and imprecise. It can relay to so tissue pathology as well as to limitation of mobility of the joint. In this case an appropriate diagnosis, followed by a quick and effective treatment, is crucial. A physiotherapy assessment, performed during an individual therapy session sets out a way forward for targeted rehabilitation. Objectives and purpose of the article: The aim of this publication is to assess the impact of individual therapy on the function of the shoulder girdle in patients subject to health resort treatment.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study included 30 patients diagnosed with shoulder joint conditions before and a er individual therapy with a physical therapist. The clinical study involved basic measurements of the range of mobility and standardized functional tests. The patients were surveyed to evaluate changes in the performance of daily activities before and a er the therapy. Pain assessment was conducted using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The results were subjected to statistical analysis.

RESULTS: The use of individual health resort treatment therapy significantly improved individual functional capacity of the patients. Self-evaluation of the patients on the performance of daily activities has shown improvement of the quality of those activities. According to VAS scale, a difference between the level of perceived pain before (mean = 6.2) and a er physical therapy treatment (mean = 3.7) as well as an improvement of the range of mobility have been observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study confirmed that the treatment has significantly reduced the pain. Individual work with a physical therapist, focused on the improvement of the range of mobility of the shoulder girdle and functional tasks, clearly reduces limitations of daily activities of the patients and can improve the quality of their life.