Corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain

R Buchbinder, S Green, JM Youd.

This review of corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain is one in a series of reviews of varying interventions for shoulder disorders. The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injections in the treatment of adults with shoulder pain.  The paper concludes that despite many RCTs of corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain, their small sample sizes, variable methodological quality and heterogeneity means that there is little overall evidence to guide treatment. Subacromial corticosteroid injection for rotator cuff disease and intra-articular injection for adhesive capsulitis may be beneficial although their effect may be small and not well-maintained.

The Cochrane Library

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