Dr. Salvador Portugal: Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder: Current Concepts and Treatment, Part 2

RUSK Insights on Rehabilitation Medicine

Dr. Salvador Portugal is an Assistant Professor in the Dapartment of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is also Director of the Sports Fellowship program and Medical Director, Sports Medicine Rehabilitation. Dr. Portugal completed his residency at NYU Grossman and his fellowship at UMDNJ. He also received an MBA from Brandies in 2020.

In this segment, Dr. Portugal indicated that in 2014, a systematic review was done, which found that a combination of PT and mobilization was strongly recommended, especially in patients in stages two and three. Cortisone injections were found to be most effective early, and acupuncture plus therapeutic exercises improved pain, range of motion and function. Therapeutic sonograph treatment was not recommended. PT is recommended after phase one or after the painful phase. A Cochrane study concluded that PT should be provided in combination with other treatments. Patients that were compliant with home exercises are shown to be equally effective compared to supervised stretching exercises. He also discussed cortical steroid injections compared to other interventions. Similarly, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was described in comparison to other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy. A related area of interest is the use of shock wave therapy in comparison to oral steroids. Many patients do well with non-surgical forms of treatment, but surgery may be an option for those who do not do so well with non-surgical treatment.