特発性肩関節拘縮に対するステロイド内服療法の効果

抄録

Background: This study was conducted to verify the effectiveness of oral steroidal medication for the patients of frozen shoulder with frequent nocturnal pain.
Methods: Twenty-seven patients (9 males and 18 females) who had frozen shoulder with frequent nocturnal pain participated in this study. All patients did not have diabetes mellitus and rotator cuff tear. Their mean age was 55.4 years old and mean duration of symptoms was 4.3 months. They were treated with oral steroidal medication for 6 weeks. They were given 10mg/day of Prednisolone for first 3 weeks, and 5mg/day for next 3 weeks. Range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder, visual analogue scale (VAS) and JOA pain score were investigated after 6 and 12 weeks.
Results: The VAS decreased from 78.1 mm to 18.8 mm at 12 weeks after the treatment. The JOA pain score was improved from 4.4 to 21.1 points. ROM of the shoulder was improved in all cases. Nocturnal pain disappeared in 24 patients (88.9%). A gastric discomfort was found in 2 cases, however no gastric ulcer was found with gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Conclusion: Oral steroidal medication was considered to be effective for patients of frozen shoulder. However sufficient care is needed to reveal the side effects.