Efficacy of ultrasound-guided subacromial bursa steroid injection for treating shoulder pain in post-stroke hemiparetic patients

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of ultrasound-guided subacromial bursa (SAB) steroid injection for treating hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) after stroke (CS), as well as its impact on joint mobility, and inflammatory mediators.Methods: Seventy-two (72) patients with CS-related HSP were divided into two groups: study and control groups. The study group received ultrasound-guided SAB injection of triamcinolone acetonide in addition to conventional treatment, while control group received only conventional rehabilitation. Both groups received 4 weeks of treatment and were assessed using pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and passive range of motion (PROM) indices before treatment and at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after treatment. Additionally, the Fugl-Meyer motor function (FMA-U) scale score, activities of daily living (ADL) score, modified Barthel index (MBI), serum IL-1β, IL-6, nitric oxide (NO) levels, and incidence of adverse reactions were assessed before and after 4 weeks of treatment.Results: The study group had a significantly higher total efficacy/effectiveness (86.11 %) compared to control group (53.89 %). Both groups showed initial decreases and subsequent increases in VAS and PROM from week 1 to week 12 after treatment. However, the study group had significantly lower VAS scores, angle of forward flexion, abduction, and external rotation at all time points compared to control group (p < 0.05). At week 4, the study group had significantly higher FMA-U, ADL, and MBI scores, as well as significantly lower IL-1β, IL-6, and NO levels when compared to control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided SAB steroid injection improves the efficacy of HSP after CS, improves joint mobility, and reduces serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and NO. Further large-sample studies with increased sample sizes and longer investigation periods are needed to validate these findings.