This study aims to review the incidence of fibromyalgia in a cohort of patients who were treated for shoulder pain and address whether a concomitant fibromyalgia could have had detrimental effect on outcomes.
The treatment of 286 consecutive patients for shoulder pain was reviewed.
Eighteen patients (6.3 %) were diagnosed as having fibromyalgia, but in 13 of them (72 %), the diagnosis was initially missed. Five patients received a total of 11 surgeries for treatment of the shoulder. At an average follow-up of 15 months (range 12-27), the average new Oxford shoulder score (OS score) was 49 % (range 6-87 %). The average physical component of the Short-Form-12 Healthy Survey (SF-12) was 36 (range 21-55), and the mental component 30 (range 15-46). The Summary Outcome Determination score (SOD score) was 1.3 (range-3 to 6).
Fibromyalgia occurs relatively frequently in patients who complain of shoulder pain and it can be a cause of failure in the treatment of concomitant painful shoulder conditions.