Frequency of neuropathic pain in patients with shoulder pain

- OBJECTIVE: Shoulder pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in general population. Although shoulder pain is com-pletely resolved within one year after treatment in more patients, persistent pain is observed in re-maining patients. Neuropathic pain may play a role in persistent shoulder pain in some patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the neuropath-ic pain component in patients with shoulder pain.PATIENTS AND METHODS: 49 patients with shoulder pain were enrolled in this study. The Pain-Detect questionnaire was used to determine the presence of neuropathic pain. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate shoulder pain. Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (Quick-Dash) was used to determine to measure physical function and symptoms.RESULTS: The neuropathic pain component in patients with shoulder pain was 20% and possible neuropathic pain was 19% according to Pain -De-tect questionnaire. The mean VAS score, Quick -Dash score and symptom duration were signifi-cantly higher in the neuropathic pain group.CONCLUSIONS: The patients with shoulder pain have a neuropathic pain component. We sug-gest that neuropathic pain should be assessed when prescribing treatment programs in patients with shoulder pain.