Which questionnaire is more effective for follow-up diagnosed subacromial impingement syndrome? A comparison of the responsiveness of SDQ, SPADI and WORC index.

OBJECTIVES

To compare responsiveness for the two region specific questionnaires Shoulder Disability Questionnaire (SDQ) and Shoulder Pain Disability Index (SPADI) and the disease specific Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index in subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) receiving physical therapy or subacromial corticosteroid injection.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Sixty-four patients with SIS diagnosed participated in this study. All the patients were provided either physical therapy or subacromial corticosteroid injection treatment. The SDQ, the SPADI and WORC index were assessed both at the beginning and after the 3rd month of treatment. The responsiveness of the three questionnaires was compared by using the effect size (ES), the standardized responsiveness mean (SRM) and Guyatt's method.

RESULTS

For both treatment groups there was no statistical difference observed between the pre- and post treatment measurement results versus improvement differences (p> 0.05). SDQ (ES=0.94; SRM=1.14; Guyatt value=0.95), SPADI (ES=1.55; SRM=2.14; Guyatt value=1.08), WORC index (ES=1.37; SRM=1.70; Guyatt value=1.15) were highly responsive for SIS.

CONCLUSIONS

The SDQ, the SPADI and the WORC index are suitable for measuring changes in patients with SIS. Of these three indices, the SDQ and the SPADI are more suitable for a rapid assessment whereas the WORC index is better in cases where a more detailed assessment including the psychological impact created by the functional status needs to be assessed.