Effectiveness of Maitland's Mobilization Versus Sleepers Stretch and Posterior Capsule Stretch on Pain, Rom and Shoulder Functions in Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis: A Randomized Control Trial

 Background and Objectives: Adhesive capsulitis (AC) is a pathological condition of shoulder joint characterized by excessive scar tissue or adhesion formation all across the glenohumeral joint. It is typically marked by a sudden onset of pain and a progressive loss of glenohumeral joint motion, which causes a severe loss of shoulder function. There is a high prevalence in the age group between 40 to 60 years of age. As Compared to men, women are 4 times more likely to be affected by frozen shoulder. AC results in discomfort, pain, stiffness and dysfunction .The study was done to assess the effectiveness of Maitland mobilization vs sleepers and posterior capsule stretch on pain, ROM and shoulder function in patients with adhesive capsulitis.  Methods: According to the sample size estimation the study included 60 participants. All the subjects included were clinically diagnosed by an orthopedic with adhesive capsulitis were screened after finding their suitability as per the inclusion criteria. Participants were briefed about the study and informed consent was obtained for the same. Total of 60 participants were randomly assigned into 2 treatment groups with 30 participants each. Group 1 (n=30) was given Maitland mobilization along with conventional physiotherapy whereas, group 2 (n=30) was followed by vs sleepers and posterior capsule stretch along with conventional physiotherapy protocol. The total duration of treatment was 4 weeks. Pre and post intervention scores were measured in terms of VAS, ROM, and SPADI.  Outcome Measures: Pre and post intervention scores were measured in terms of VAS, ROM, and shoulder disability. The outcome measure pain was measures using Visual analog scale. The availability of range of motion of shoulder was measured using universal goniometer. To calculate the extent of disability caused by the adhesive capsulitis was measured using shoulder pain and disability index.  Result: While comparing pre-test and post-test scores using paired t-test, both the groups showed a significant difference in each parameter (VAS, shoulder ROM, SPADI= <0.001). Independent sample t-test showed significant improvement in all the parameters (VAS, shoulder ROM in flexion, abduction and external rotation, SPADI= <0.001) of both the groups after 4 weeks of intervention.  Conclusion: On the basis of result obtained from this study, Maitland mobilization is significantly more effective in increasing ROM, reducing pain on VAS and decreasing the shoulder disability compared to sleepers and posterior capsule stretch in patients with adhesive capsulitis.