Ultrasound-Guided Treatments for Shoulder Pain in Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury

Activity-dependent shoulder pain intensity will be assessed using the Wheelchair Users Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI). The WUSPI is a 15-item self-report instrument that measures shoulder pain intensity in wheelchair users during various ADLs over the past week; for example, transfers, loading a wheelchair into a car, wheelchair mobility, dressing, bathing, overhead lifting, driving, performing household chores, and sleeping. Each item is scored using a 10cm visual analog scale (VAS) which is anchored at the ends with "no pain" and "worst pain ever experienced." Individual item scores are summed to arrive at a total index score, which ranges from 0 to 150. We will evaluate changes in scores between baseline and 6 months.

The subject will be asked to rate on a 7-point scale his or her overall impression following treatment as compared to the previous measurement interval. The 7-point PGIC scale (also referred to as the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale; anchored by "very much improved" and "very much worse") is used to measure global treatment effect and is recommended as a compliment to unidimensional pain intensity scales. Although other versions of the PGIC scale exist, the SCI Measures Pain Committee recommends using the original Guy/Farrar-PGIC scale in clinical trials since it has been used extensively and been shown to be sensitive to change. We will evaluate scores at 6 months.

The PESS will be derived from findings during the shoulder examination performed. The PESS was developed to apply a grading system to commonly-used provocative tests for the diagnosis of shoulder soft-tissue disorders. Eleven physical examination maneuvers are given a score dependent upon the pain elicited: 0 (no pain), 1 (equivocal for pain), or 2 (pain present). The scores are summed for a total between 0 and 22. The physical examination maneuvers include: biceps tendon/bicipital groove tenderness; supraspinatus tendon/greater tuberosity tenderness; acromioclavicular joint tenderness; resisted external rotation; resisted internal rotation; supraspinatus test; painful arc test; Neer impingement sign; Hawkins-Kennedy impingement sign; O'Brien active compression test for acromioclavicular joint and labral pathology. We will evaluate changes in scores between baseline and 6 months.

All participants will undergo a clinical ultrasound examination. The ultrasound will be performed by a physiatrist with musculoskeletal ultrasound training. The Ultrasound Shoulder Pathology Rating Scale (USPRS) applies a grade to seven ultrasound findings for shoulder pathology. The scale is designed to give an impression of global shoulder pathology associated with overuse. A score of 0 indicates no observable pathology, up to a maximum of 23. The exams include biceps tendinosis/tendinopathy; supraspinatus tendinosis/tendinopathy; greater tuberosity cortical surface irregularities; bursal thickening; joint edema; dynamic supraspinatus and subscapularis impingement. We will evaluate changes in scores between baseline and 6 months.

Quantitative ultrasound protocols will be used to evaluate changes in morphological and structural characteristics of the supraspinatus tendon after treatment. We will collect conventional B-mode ultrasound images alongside shear wave elastography images and apply custom image analysis algorithms to quantify the parameters of interest. Greyscale parameters of interest include tendon thickness and mean echogenicity (i.e. "brightness"), which are reflective of inflammation and edema. This method will be adapted based on a previously-validated technique that has been used in wheelchair users with SCI. The primary elastography parameter of interest is strain ratio; that is, the strain within the ROI relative to a reference point in the deltoid muscle immediately outside the tendon. We will evaluate changes in greyscale and shear wave parameters between baseline and 6 months.