Subacromial impingement syndrome: a survey study of Saudi Arabian physiotherapists on diagnostic methods and potential treatments

Abstract Background Subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) represents a common cause of disability in approximately 74% of patients with shoulder pain (SP). Even if contemporary research suggests that this mechanism is not (always) the dominant driver in SP, SAIS is still a source of debate among physiotherapists. From a clinical point of view, evidence has suggested that physiotherapists can use different modalities and physiotherapy approaches as effective methods to treat SAIS. This survey aims to investigate the diagnostic strategies and therapeutic modalities used by Saudi physiotherapists for the management of patients with SAIS. Methods An online survey with a 23-item questionnaire was administered to assess the knowledge of 301 Saudi physiotherapists about (a) strategies of clinical examination, (b) physiotherapy management, and (c) the pharmacological and surgical management in patients with SAIS. Results Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) were used for continuous variables. The results of this study showed that a combination of multiple tests has been shown to provide better accuracy in diagnosing the condition at 35.9%. It is recommended to use single and pathology-specific tests at 23.3% as they have been shown to detect the structures that generate the symptoms. Regarding the administration of exercises, therapeutic exercise at 33.6% and manual therapy at 37.5% were identified as commonly used approaches for treatment. Conclusion The Saudi physiotherapist specializing in musculoskeletal rehabilitation appeared to be able to plan and manage clinical studies and treatment strategies for patients with SAIS. Future studies should try to obtain comparable volumes from both groups and homogeneous samples to compare the two groups and their responses.