The clinical utility of musculoskeletal ultrasonography in hemiplegic shoulder rehabilitation poststroke
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective This study aimed to assess the utility of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) in the rehabilitation of stroke patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain. Methods We conducted a study involving 80 stroke patients with hemiplegia and concomitant shoulder pain on the affected side, admitted to our hospital between April 2020 and March 2021. MSUS was used to evaluate shoulder structures, including the long head of the biceps brachii tendon (BICT) and its sheath, rotator cuff, subacromial–subdeltoid (SA–SD) bursa, labrum, acromioclavicular ligament, acromiocoracoid ligament, and acromion–greater tuberosity (AGT) distance. We compared pre- and post-rehabilitation measurements of supraspinatus tendon (SST) thickness, BICT sheath effusion thickness, SA–SD bursa effusion thickness, AGT distance, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results Post-rehabilitation, the SST thickness on the hemiplegic side showed a statistically significant reduction (P = 0.023). No significant difference was observed in the mean maximum rupture diameter (P = 0.796). Both BICT sheath effusion (P < 0.001) and SA–SD bursa effusion (P < 0.001) exhibited significant decreases. The AGT distance on the hemiplegic side also demonstrated a statistically significant change (P < 0.001). Additionally, the VAS score significantly improved post-rehabilitation (P < 0.001). Conclusion MSUS is a feasible and reproducible tool for monitoring rehabilitation progress in stroke patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain.
Authors: Jun Liu, Huijuan Pan, Yong Bao, Li Huang, Yunyun Hu
Institutions: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ruijin Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,353
OpenAlex ID: W4410416695