Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
1-1-2022
Abstract
Chronic shoulder pain affects millions of patients each year. Various conditions can result in shoulder pain ranging from rotator cuff injury, subacromial impingement, post-surgical pain, bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis. Typically, rotator cuff pathology is diagnosed by physical exam maneuvers along with advanced imaging modalities. Initial treatment for rotator cuff injury typically consists of physical therapy, NSAIDs, and possible injections depending on the extent of the injury. If conservative measures fail or the injury is too substantial, surgery is typically the appropriate treatment for healthy patients. For patients who are not surgical candidates or refuse surgery, peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) can be considered. With the use of PNS, the suprascapular and axillary nerves can be targeted to provide pain relief for a variety of chronic shoulder pain issues. We describe the use of PNS in 2 patients with significant rotator cuff pathology who were not surgical candidates.
Keywords
peripheral nerve stimulation, chronic pain, rotator cuff, neuromodulation
DOI
10.52965/001c.37494
PMID
36034725
PMCID
PMC9404266
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
8-25-2022
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes