Are progressive shoulder exercises feasible in patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis or rotator cuff tear arthropathy

Little is known about the feasibility and effect of shoulder exercises for patients with degenerative glenohumeral arthritis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 12 weeks of PSE is feasible in patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis (OA) or rotator cuff tear arthropathy (CTA) eligible for shoulder arthroplasty. Moreover, to report changes in shoulder function and range of motion (ROM) following the exercise program.
Twenty patients were included. Two patients dropped out during the 12-weeks exercise program and no adverse events were observed. Sixteen of the eighteen patients (89%) had a high adherence (≥ 70%) to the physiotherapist-supervised sessions. Acceptable pain levels were reported; in 76% of all exercise sessions with no numeric rating scale (NRS) score over five for any exercise. 
Patient reported outcomes improved with a mean of 23 points for WOOS (scale 0-100), and with a mean of 13 points for DASH (scale 0-100).
Adherence to exercises was high and dropout rates were low. Exercises are feasible, safe and may relieve shoulder pain, improve function and ROM in patients with glenohumeral OA or CTA. The patient-experienced gains seem clinically relevant and should be compared to arthroplasty surgery in a RCT setting.
 
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This study a predecessor to a multicenter RCT.
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