Poststroke shoulder pain: its relationship to motor impairment, activity limitation, and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship between poststroke shoulder pain, upper-limb motor impairment, activity limitation, and pain-related quality of life (QOL).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, secondary analysis of baseline data from a multisite clinical trial.

SETTING

Outpatient rehabilitation clinics of 7 academic medical centers.

PARTICIPANTS

Volunteer sample of 61 chronic stroke survivors with poststroke shoulder pain and glenohumeral subluxation.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured poststroke shoulder pain with the Brief Pain Inventory question 12 (BPI 12), a self-reported 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) that assesses "worst pain" in the last 7 days. Motor impairment was measured with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA). Activity limitation was measured with the Arm Motor Ability Test (AMAT) and the FIM instrument. Pain-related QOL was measured with BPI question 23, a self-reported 11-point NRS that assesses pain interference with general activity, mood, walking ability, normal work, interpersonal relationships, sleep, and enjoyment of life.

RESULTS

Stepwise regression analyses indicated that poststroke shoulder pain is associated with the BPI 23, but not with the FMA, FIM, or AMAT scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Poststroke shoulder pain is associated with reduced QOL, but not with motor impairment or activity limitation.