Improvement in Functional Ability and Quality of Life Takes Place among Patients with Supraspinatus Tendinitis Regardless of the Type of Intervention

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to investigate the functional ability and state of health before and after three different treatments of patients (=156) with shoulder problems. Design. This is a comparative study using convenience sampling and Shoulder Rating Questionnaire, the Short Form-36 Health Survey self-evaluation questionnaires, and metabolic equivalent (MET), prior to and after intervention. The patients in Group 1 had an arthroscopic operation while Group 2 had an open acromioplasty. The patients in Group 3 had merely received conservative treatment. Results. Improvement has occurred regardless of the type of intervention. However, a change is notable less evident in the Conservative group, which at least in part can be explained by their higher initial scores (measurement 1); their situation has simply been better already from the start, and this is perhaps why they have not been placed onto an operation waiting list. Conclusion. Even if conservative treatment appears to result in comparatively poorer outcomes, the role of physiotherapy should not be disregarded. Physiotherapy cannot replace essential surgical operations, but physiotherapy is able to significantly alleviate patients' experiences of pain.