Suprascapular nerve block (using bupivacaine and methylprednisolone acetate) in chronic shoulder pain

Suprascapular nerve block (using bupivacaine and methylprednisolone acetate) in chronic shoulder pain.

BACKGROUND Shoulder pain from inflammatory arthritis and/or degenerative disease is a common cause of morbidity in the community. It is difficult to treat and there are limited data on the efficacy of most interventions. Suprascapular nerve block has shown promise in limited trials in reducing shoulder pain. There have been no large randomised placebo controlled trials examining the efficacy of...

Modified suprascapular nerve block with bupivacaine alone effectively controls chronic shoulder pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Chronic shoulder pain is a common and disabling symptom in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been previously shown that a suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) using the standard mixture of bupivacaine and adrenaline (Ba) plus methylprednisolone (P), which is routinely used in pain clinics, results in a considerable improvement in pain relief and range of movement compared with convent...

Targeting the suprascapular nerve in chronic shoulder pain

Suprascapular nerve block in chronic shoulder pain: are the radiologists better?

BACKGROUND Suprascapular nerve block is a safe and effective treatment for chronic shoulder pain in arthritis, which can be performed either by direct imaging (CT guided) or in the clinic using anatomical landmarks to determine needle placement. OBJECTIVE To compare a CT guided versus an anatomical landmark approach in a randomised, single blind trial examining the efficacy of suprascapular n...

Suprascapular nerve block for postoperative pain relief in arthroscopic shoulder surgery: a new modality?

Arthroscopic shoulder surgery has a 45% incidence of severe postoperative pain. Opiates and interscalene nerve blocks have a high incidence of side effects, and intraarticular local anesthetic has been shown to be ineffective when used for postoperative pain relief. The suprascapular nerve supplies 70% of the sensory nerve supply to the shoulder joint, and local anesthetic block of this nerve i...