A systematic review and pooled analysis of the prevalence of rotator cuff disease with increasing age.

UNLABELLED: Hypothesis and background: Abnormalities of the rotator cuff are more common with age, but the exact prevalence of abnormalities and the extent to which the presence of an abnormality is associated with symptoms are topics of debate. Our aim was to review the published literature to establish the prevalence of abnormalities of the rotator cuff and to determine if the prevalence of abnormalities increases with older age in 10-year intervals. In addition, we assessed prevalence in 4 separate groups: (1) asymptomatic patients, (2) general population, (3) symptomatic patients, and (4) patients after shoulder dislocation. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up to February 24, 2014, and included studies reporting rotator cuff abnormalities by age. Thirty studies including 6112 shoulders met our criteria. We pooled the individual patient data and calculated proportions of patients with and without abnormalities per decade (range, younger than 20 years to 80 years and older). RESULTS: Overall prevalence of abnormalities increased with age, from 9.7% (29 of 299) in patients aged 20 years and younger to 62% (166 of 268) in patients aged 80 years and older (P < .001) (odds ratio, 15; 95% confidence interval, 9.6-24; P < .001). There was a similar increasing prevalence of abnormalities regardless of symptoms or shoulder dislocation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The prevalence of rotator cuff abnormalities in asymptomatic people is high enough for degeneration of the rotator cuff to be considered a common aspect of normal human aging and to make it difficult to determine when an abnormality is new (e.g., after a dislocation) or is the cause of symptoms.

A Comprehensive Review of Alternative Therapies for the Management of Chronic Pain Patients: Acupuncture, Tai Chi, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, and Chiropractic Care.

INTRODUCTION: Non-pharmacologic alternative therapies for pain have been around for a long time, some for hundreds of years. They have been used throughout history to treat many issues. RECENT FINDINGS: Currently, alternative medicine is most frequently used to treat musculoskeletal pain, and between 59 and 90% of patients utilizing alternative therapies for chronic pain claimed they were helpful and can serve as an effective adjunctive for the treatment of chronic pain. Some examples of alternative therapies that will be discussed in this review include acupuncture, tai chi, osteopathic manipulation, and chiropractic care. Acupuncture, traditionally a Chinese practice, is becoming more popular across the world to attempt to relieve pain. It involves the placement of thin needles at various points in the body. The efficacy of acupuncture for pain is heavily debated. More research and discussion are necessary to determine the exact role it plays in the treatment of chronic pain. Tai chi is also a traditional Chinese practice that is often used as a form of meditation and for potential health benefits. Tai chi involves a series of complex movements such as squatting combined with deep breathing to achieve relaxation and pain reduction. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a technique used by both osteopathic physicians (DO) as well as other health professionals to manage a wide range of conditions in any given patient. The technique involves utilization and manipulation of the musculoskeletal system to achieve potential health benefits. OMT has been used as therapy for many issues but is commonly used for pain conditions. Alternative therapies may serve as an effective adjunctive treatment modality for the management of chronic pain conditions. There has been a tremendous amount of research dictating the effectiveness of alternative therapies for chronic pain management. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive evidence-based update of alternative therapy used for the management of chronic pain conditions.