Prevalence and incidence of shoulder pain in the general population; a systematic review

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of rheumatology Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 73 - 81
• Main Authors: Luime, JJ, Koes, BW, Hendriksen, IJM, Burdorf, A, Verhagen, AP, Miedema, HS, Verhaar, JAN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Informa UK Ltd 01.03.2004; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; general population; Humans; incidence; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Netherlands - epidemiology; Pain Measurement; Population Surveillance; Prevalence; Prognosis; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Distribution; shoulder pain; Shoulder Pain - diagnosis; Shoulder Pain - epidemiology; systematic review; Pain; Prevalence; Shoulder; Rheumatology; Population; Review; Epidemiology; Bibliographic review; Incidence
• ISSN: 0300-9742; 1502-7732
• DOI: 10.1080/03009740310004667

Objective: To investigate the incidence and prevalence of shoulder complaints in the general population. Method: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Medline, Embase, and Cinahl were searched for relevant studies. Results: Eighteen studies on prevalence and one study on incidence met the inclusion criteria. Incidence figures of 0.9-2.5% were found for different age groups. Prevalence figures differed from 6.9 to 26% for point prevalence, 18.6-31% for 1-month prevalence, 4.7-46.7% for 1-year prevalence and 6.7-66.7% for lifetime prevalence. Prevalence rates decreased when the case definition was restricted, in terms of duration of pain or the presence of limited movements, and increased when the location for pain was enlarged. Conclusion: The reported prevalence figures on shoulder complaints diverged strongly. Health professionals and policymakers who estimate the amount of medical care needed and related costs should be aware of the variations in prevalence rate and the underlying reasons for these differences.