Quality of life and functional capacity of patients with adhesive capsulitis: identifying risk factors associated to better outcomes after treatment with nerve blocking

Introduction

The objectives of this study were to assess the quality of life and functional capacity of adhesive capsulitis patients at the beginning and end of procedure and to identify risk factors associated to better outcomes after treatment with nerve blocking.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was performed. Inclusion criteria were clinical signs of adhesive capsulitis and disease changes on shoulder imaging exams. The short form of World Health Organization Quality of life and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaires were administered at the beginning and end of treatment. A score of 55 points or more on the Constant index was used for discontinuation of treatment. We used the Wilcoxon test for paired samples. Multiple regression analysis of Poisson was carried out using exposure variables with p < 0.20 in the univariate analysis and the satisfactory quality of life and better functional capability as outcomes. The significance level was 5%.

Results

43 patients were evaluated. For the comparison between medians values at the beginning and end of treatment (physical domain: 46.43–67.86; psychologic domain: 66.67–79.17; social domain: 66.67–75; environment domain: 62.5–68.75; DASH: 64.16–38.33), p was <0.05. Aging (physical/psychologic/DASH), higher educational level (physical/environment/DASH), less severity (only physical) and fewer nerve blocking (only psychologic) were these independent risk factors.

Conclusions

Quality of life and functional capacity of the patients improve at the end of procedure. Older patients and higher education levels are the risk factors most associated to satisfactory quality of life and better functional capacity after treatment with nerve blocking.