ArticleArthritis research & therapy2015
Significantly impaired shoulder function in the first years of rheumatoid arthritis: a controlled study.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- High-intensity interval training improves cardiovascular and physical health in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a multicentre randomised controlled trial.British journal of sports medicine · 2024Trial
- Pain, function and peritendinous effusion improvement after dry needling in patients with long head of biceps brachii tendinopathy: a single-blind randomized clinical trial.Annals of medicine · 2024Trial
- Using machine learning to uncover joint involvement patterns linked to disease activity and disability in rheumatoid arthritis.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Asymptomatic Shoulder Involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Prospective Case-Control Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Advancing Precision Rehabilitation Through a Sensor-Based 6-DoF Robotic Exoskeleton: Clinical Validation and Ergonomic Assessment.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- [Shoulder pain in inflammatory rheumatic diseases : Importance of musculoskeletal ultrasound].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2025Article
- Article
- The relation between synovitis of individual finger joints and grip force over the first 5 years in early rheumatoid arthritis - a cohort study.Arthritis research & therapy · 2023Article
- Examining Rehabilitation Dose in Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Association With Baseline Factors and Change in Clinical Outcomes.Arthritis care & research · 2023Article
- Eccentric Versus Concentric Exercises in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Randomized Comparative Study.Annals of rehabilitation medicine · 2023Article
- Is shoulder involvement in clinically suspect arthralgia an early feature of rheumatoid arthritis? A longitudinal ultrasound study.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2020Article
- The relation between upper extremity joint involvement and grip force in early rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective study.Rheumatology international · 2019Article
- Collagen-induced arthritis as an animal model of rheumatoid cachexia.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2018Article
- Linguistic validation, validity and reliability of the British English versions of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and QuickDASH in people with rheumatoid arthritis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk impaired shoulder function due to the inflammatory process. The knowledge of shoulder function in the early years of the disease is limited. The aim was to compare shoulder function and activity limitation related to the shoulder-arm-hand in women with RA in early disease course compared to age-matched healthy women.
methodThis controlled cross-sectional study included 103 women with rheumatoid arthritis and a reference group of 103 age-matched healthy women. The mean age was 47.1 (SD 10.0) years, the mean disease duration was 20.3 (SD 8.5) months and the mean DAS28 score was 3.8 (SD 1.4) among the patients. Participants were provided with self-reported questionnaires quantifying activity limitations. Shoulder function was assessed by isometric strength of the shoulder, shoulder-arm movement and shoulder pain. Hand-grip force was assessed and examination was made of tender and swollen joints among the patients.
resultsPatients showed significantly (p < 0.0001) impaired shoulder muscle strength, shoulder-arm movement, and shoulder pain compared to the reference group. Patients shoulder muscle strength was approximately 65% of the results observed in the reference group. Activity limitations related to the shoulder-arm-hand (DASH) were significantly (p < 0.0001) higher in the patient group compared to the reference group and indicates limitations in daily activities for the patients.
conclusionPatients with RA were found to have significantly impaired shoulder function already 1.5 years after disease onset compared to age-matched subjects. Reduced shoulder muscle strength was found to be associated with activity limitations (DASH) implying that screening of the shoulder function, emphasising the shoulder muscle strength, should be initiated from disease onset.
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