A randomized controlled clinical trial of manual therapy for shoulder pain

[Wise Young]

http://www.craighospital.org/

A randomized controlled clinical trial of manual therapy for shoulder pain to determine:

1. if a standard protocol for delivery of traditional physical therapy reduces rates of shoulder pain in people with tetraplegia compared to the rates of shoulder pain cited in the literature;
2. how patterns of shoulder pain differ between those who receive traditional physical therapy and those who receive additional manual therapy; and
3. if manual therapy is more effective among subgroups of people with tetraplegia, as defined by demographics and other variables.

Participants for this study include current inpatients with new, neurologically complete spinal cord injuries at the level of C5, C6, C7, C8 or T1.