ArticleFamily practice2021
The incidence and management of shoulder complaints in general practice: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in Family practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Does manual therapy meaningfully change quantitative sensory testing and patient reported outcome measures in patients with musculoskeletal impairments related to the spine?: A 'trustworthy' systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2024Pooled it
- Graded motor imagery as an adjunct to comprehensive physiotherapy in chronic rotator cuff-related pain: a single blind randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Trial
- Video-based examination of patients with shoulder pain: a scoping review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Functional Outcomes After Imaging- and Orthopedic Test-Guided Evaluation of Shoulder Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Methods and protocols · 2025Review
- Joint Efforts: A Review of Large Joint and Bursa Steroid Injections and Aspirations by Primary Care Physicians.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Review
- Patient preferences for conservative treatment of shoulder pain: a discrete choice experiment.Family practice · 2025Article
- Muscle Activations of the Upper Extremity and Core during Elevation and Rotational Movements in Overhead Throwing Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2024Article
- Health literacy in rotator cuff repair: a quantitative assessment of the understandability of online patient education material.JSES international · 2023Article
- Incidence of shoulder disorders in a cohort of healthcare workers from 2009 to 2020.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2023Article
- The role of area level social deprivation on childhood and adolescent consultation rate in primary care: a population based, cohort study.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundShoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal complaint in primary care. The international guidelines for general practitioners (GPs) recommend a stepwise treatment of shoulder pain. Little is known about the actual distribution of these treatments in current practice.
objectiveTo gain insight in the incidence and current management of shoulder complaints in Dutch general practice.
methodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted using a health care database containing the full electronic medical records of approximately 200 000 patients in Dutch general practice. A search algorithm was constructed to identify incident cases of shoulder complaints from January 2012 to December 2017. Data on the management of shoulder complaints were manually validated in a random sample of 1000 cases.
resultsThe overall incidence of shoulder complaints was 30.3 (95% confidence interval 29.9-30.7) per 1000 person-years. More than half of the patients (58.6%) consulted their GP only once, 44.4% two times or more and 19.7% three times or more. For most patients (58.1%), the GP applied a wait-and-see policy or prescription of oral medication in the first consultation. However, no less than 42.9% of the patients were referred or received an injection already in the first consultation.
conclusionsThere is a wide variety of treatments for shoulder complaints applied by the GP. Some patients are referred or received an injection already in the first consultation. The stepwise approach recommended by the guideline, might not always be applicable due to the diversity of patient- and shoulder characteristics presented in general practice.
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