Supporting Technology for Frozen Shoulder Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Adhesive capsulitis (AC), commonly known as frozen shoulder, is an enigmatic and poorly defined shoulder disorder characterized by a painful, progressive, and disabling loss of active and passive mobility in the glenohumeral joint across multiple planes. To evaluate the effectiveness of robotic therapy in the rehabilitation of patients diagnosed with AC, a therapeutic intervention study was conducted involving 40 patients treated at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the General Hospital “Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso” in Santiago de Cuba. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: robotic therapy (experimental) and regular therapy (control). The Constant–Murley (CM) scale for pain and shoulder range of motion, as well as the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, were measured before and after treatment. All patients treated with robotic therapy showed improvement; 70% advanced to pain grade 3 (almost normal), five to grade 2 (slight omalgia), and one subject reached grade 4 (no pain). In the control group, however, only nine patients (45%) advanced to grade 3, and one achieved grade 4, while the rest experienced mild, moderate, or severe pain. At the conclusion of the study, the CM scale indicated excellent or good results in 20 patients, 12 of whom were in the robotic therapy group. In the experimental group, 18 patients (90%) had final DASH scores below 50%.