Ultrasound imaging to tailor treatment of shoulder pain in general practice

The prognosis for patients with shoulder pain is poor. Unfortunately, general practitioners are not able to determine the underlying cause of shoulder pain during a consultation. Treatment therefore focuses on the symptoms and not the underlying cause. This dissertation shows that general practitioners find diagnosing shoulder pain complex, and that ultrasound is suitable for making a diagnosis and is also frequently used to do so. However, treatment based on ultrasound diagnosis in patients with a history of less than three months’ pain does not result in a better prognosis after one year. It is therefore recommended that general practitioners do not refer patients with shoulder pain for ultrasound.