Trial reportAnnals of the rheumatic diseases2004
Short course prednisolone for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder or stiff painful shoulder): a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial.
Trial report in Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 45 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparison of the Efficacy of Proximal and Distal Suprascapular Nerve Blocks Under Ultrasound Guidance in the Treatment of Patients Diagnosed With Adhesive Capsulitis
Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Pericapsular and Intra-Articular Steroid Injections in Patients Diagnosed With Adhesive Capsulitis
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 208 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of acupuncture-related therapies for frozen shoulder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Comparison of Treatments for Frozen Shoulder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2020Pooled it
- Glenohumeral corticosteroid injections in adhesive capsulitis: a systematic search and review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2014Pooled it
- Shoulder pain.BMJ clinical evidence · 2010Pooled it
- Oral steroids for adhesive capsulitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2006Pooled it
- Comparison of Outcomes of Two Different Corticosteroid Injection Approaches for Primary Frozen Shoulder: A Randomized Controlled Study.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2023Trial
- Calcitonin effects on shoulder adhesive capsulitis.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2016Trial
- Pain, depression and the postoperative stiff shoulder.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2015Trial
- Acupuncture at local and distal points for chronic shoulder pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Trials · 2014Trial
- Intra-articular corticosteroid injection in diabetic patients with adhesive capsulitis: a randomized controlled trial.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2012Trial
- Treatment of frozen shoulder with subcutaneous TNF-alpha blockade compared with local glucocorticoid injection: a randomised pilot study.Clinical rheumatology · 2012Trial
- Responsiveness of the shoulder pain and disability index in patients with adhesive capsulitis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2008Trial
- Hydrodilatation, corticosteroids and adhesive capsulitis: a randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2008Trial
- Range of shoulder motion in patients with adhesive capsulitis; intra-tester reproducibility is acceptable for group comparisons.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2008Trial
- What do European shoulder surgeons think of the frozen shoulder? Results of a questionnaire survey among the members of the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and the Elbow and a review of the current evidence.EFORT open reviews · 2025Review
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis and Non-Surgical Treatment of Primary Frozen Shoulder.Annals of rehabilitation medicine · 2025Article
- [Adhesive capsulitis].Radiologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2024Review
- Acute Effects of Systemic Glucocorticoids on the Vocal Folds in a Pre-Clinical Model.The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology · 2024Article
- Review
- Vitamin C as a Potential Prophylactic Measure Against Frozen Shoulder in an In Vivo Shoulder Contracture Animal Model.The American journal of sports medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on byFrozen shoulder.2005
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether a short course of prednisolone is superior to placebo for improving pain, function, and range of motion in adhesive capsulitis.
designDouble blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial.
settingCommunity based rheumatology practice in Australia.
participants50 participants (24 active, 26 placebo); 46 completed the 12 week protocol. Entry criteria were age > or =18 years, pain and stiffness in predominantly one shoulder for > or =3 weeks, and restriction of passive motion by >30 degrees in two or more planes.
interventions30 mg oral prednisolone/day for three weeks or placebo.
main outcome measuresOverall, night, and activity related pain, SPADI, Croft shoulder disability questionnaire, DASH, HAQ, SF-36, participant rated improvement, and range of active motion measured at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 weeks.
resultsAt 3 weeks, there was greater improvement in overall pain in the prednisolone group than in the placebo group (mean (SD) change from baseline, 4.1 (2.3) v 1.4 (2.3); adjusted difference in mean change between the two groups, 2.4 (95% CI, 1.1 to 3.8)). There was also greater improvement in disability, range of active motion, and participant rated improvement (marked or moderate overall improvement in 22/23 v 11/23; RR = 2 (1.3 to 3.1), p = 0.001). At 6 weeks the analysis favoured the prednisolone group for most outcomes but none of the differences was significant. At 12 weeks, the analysis tended to favour the placebo group.
conclusionsA three week course of 30 mg prednisolone daily is of significant short term benefit in adhesive capsulitis but benefits are not maintained beyond six weeks.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.