Reducing Shoulder Complaints in Employees with High Occupational Shoulder Exposures: A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Study (The Shoulder-Café Study).

Abstract

To evaluate if a group-based Shoulder-Café intervention could reduce shoulder complaints more effectively than an individual-based control intervention in employees with shoulder complaints and high occupational shoulder exposures. A cluster-randomised controlled study of 109 participants from 60 companies in Central Denmark Region. Companies were randomised and allocated to either Shoulder-Café or control intervention. Participants in both interventions received a pamphlet on home-based shoulder exercises and a pamphlet with general information on reducing occupational shoulder exposures. They also had their occupational shoulder exposures assessed. Shoulder-Café participants additionally received three café-meetings with casual discussion, clinical shoulder evaluation, education about shoulder anatomy and occupational shoulder exposures, supervised exercises, workplace-oriented counselling, and an optional workplace visit. The primary outcome measure was the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) at 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcome measures were the OSS at 12months, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire - Physical Activity at 6 and 12months, and Patients' Global Impression of Change at 6months. The study also included seven supplementary outcome measures. Both groups improved from baseline to 6months with respect to the primary outcome (P < 0.01). No group differences were found for the primary outcome (mean difference (MD) [95% confidence interval]: 0.3 [- 1.6; 2.2]) or secondary outcomes. The supplementary outcomes "felt informed about handling shoulder complaints" and "felt informed about reducing occupational exposures" at 6months, and "Patients' Global Impression of Change" and "overall satisfaction" at 12months favoured the Shoulder-Café intervention. The Shoulder-Café intervention did not reduce shoulder complaints more effectively than the control intervention. The trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov on 19 May 2017 (ID: NCT03159910).