Main characteristics of participating patients recruited in different settings
| General practice (n=75) | Orthopaedic practice (n=33) | Clinic for rheumatology and rehabilitation (n=93) | Total (n=201) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female (%) | 61 | 52 | 69 | 66 |
| Mean age in years (SD) | 44 (13) | 49 (11) | 50 (11) | 48 (12) |
| Dominant shoulder affected (%) | 57 | 67 | 43 | 54 |
| Precipitating cause (%): | ||||
| unknown | 43 | 24 | 41 | 39 |
| strain/overuse | 16 | 33 | 34 | 27 |
| (minor) injury | 17 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| sport injury | 11 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| other causes | 13 | 22 | 6 | 11 |
| Previous episode(s) of shoulder pain (%) | 40 | 30 | 43 | 40 |
| Duration of current episode (%): | ||||
| ⩽3 months | 45 | 9 | 18 | 26 |
| 3–6 months | 13 | 12 | 20 | 16 |
| 6–12 months | 19 | 27 | 22 | 21 |
| >12 months | 23 | 52 | 40 | 34 |
| Sleep disturbances (%): | ||||
| unable to lie on the involved shoulder | 44 | 39 | 55 | 51 |
| waking up; cannot fall asleep | 65 | 48 | 78 | 69 |
| Pain at rest (%) | 63 | 58 | 73 | 67 |
| Mean pain score2-150 (SD): | ||||
| at night | 54 (32) | 36 (32) | 54 (27) | 51 (30) |
| during the day | 55 (27) | 41 (27) | 57 (23) | 54 (26) |
| Mean SDQ score† (SD) | 63 (25) | 61 (24) | 75 (19) | 68 (23) |
↵2-150 Visual analogue scale (0–100). †SDQ score (0–100).