García-de-Pereda-Notario Carlos Miquel, Palomeque-Del-Cerro Luis, García-Mata Ricardo, Rodriguez-Isarn María, Rodriguez-Isarn Hugo, Arráez-Aybar Luis Alfonso
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
UCM Research Group No. 920202, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Aug 13;13(16):1984. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13161984.
Shoulder pain is one of the leading causes of medical consultation, highlighting the need to identify the most frequently affected tissues to improve diagnosis. This study aims to determine the most common shoulder soft tissue injuries in young adults using musculoskeletal ultrasound (US). An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with 66 individuals aged 18 to 45 years; 35 participants reported shoulder pain and 31 did not. All participants received shoulder US by a specialist. Structures analyzed included the rotator cuff tendons, the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT), and the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa. The supraspinatus tendon was the most frequently affected structure, accounting for 65.1% of clinical findings, and its involvement was strongly associated with subscapularis tendinitis (OR = 18.45). The subscapularis tendon represented 31.8%, tenosynovitis of the LHBT occurred in 7.6%, and the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa was affected in 1.5%. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct profiles based on age, pain status, and tendon involvement: Cluster 1 ( = 23; mean age 21.6 ± 3.8 years) included younger individuals with minimal pain and tendinopathy (21.7%); Cluster 2 ( = 21; mean age 33.6 ± 2.6) consisted of intermediate-age participants with moderate pain and predominant supraspinatus tendinitis (71.4%); and Cluster 3 ( = 22 mean age 42.1 ± 1.6) comprised older individuals with the highest prevalence of pain and combined tendon lesions (81.8%). This study confirms the clinical value of musculoskeletal US in detecting soft tissue injuries, including subclinical findings. The supraspinatus tendon was the most frequently affected structure, often associated with subscapularis tendinitis and other combined lesions in older individuals. US proved useful in identifying distinct injury profiles based on age and pain status, supporting its role in early diagnosis and tailored management strategies.
肩部疼痛是就医的主要原因之一，这凸显了识别最常受累组织以改善诊断的必要性。本研究旨在使用肌肉骨骼超声（US）确定年轻成年人中最常见的肩部软组织损伤。对66名年龄在18至45岁之间的个体进行了一项观察性横断面研究；35名参与者报告有肩部疼痛，31名没有。所有参与者均由专科医生进行肩部超声检查。分析的结构包括肩袖肌腱、肱二头肌长头肌腱（LHBT）和肩峰下 - 三角肌下滑囊。冈上肌腱是最常受累的结构，占临床发现的65.1%，其受累与肩胛下肌腱炎密切相关（OR = 18.45）。肩胛下肌腱占31.8%，LHBT腱鞘炎发生率为7.6%，肩峰下 - 三角肌下滑囊受累率为1.5%。聚类分析根据年龄、疼痛状况和肌腱受累情况揭示了三种不同的模式：第1组（n = 23；平均年龄2*1.6 ± 3.8岁）包括疼痛和肌腱病轻微的年轻个体（21.7%）；第2组（n = 21；平均年龄33.6 ± 2.6岁）由中度疼痛且以冈上肌腱炎为主（71.4%）的中年参与者组成；第3组（n = 22；平均年龄42.1 ± 1.6岁）包括疼痛患病率最高且合并肌腱损伤（81.8%）的老年个体。本研究证实了肌肉骨骼超声在检测软组织损伤（包括亚临床发现）方面的临床价值。冈上肌腱是最常受累的结构，在老年个体中常与肩胛下肌腱炎和其他合并损伤相关。超声被证明有助于根据年龄和疼痛状况识别不同的损伤模式，支持其在早期诊断和个性化管理策略中的作用。
