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CC BY 4.0 · Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2025; 60(01): s00441792098
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1792098
Artigo Original

Infiltration and Nerve Block in Painful Shoulder: Current Perspectives and Trends

Article in several languages: português | English
Paulo Henrique Schmidt Lara
1   Centro de Traumatologia do Esporte (CETE), Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Guilherme Martinez
1   Centro de Traumatologia do Esporte (CETE), Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Fabrício Infanti 
2   Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Alberto de Castro Pochini
1   Centro de Traumatologia do Esporte (CETE), Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Benno Ejnisman
1   Centro de Traumatologia do Esporte (CETE), Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Paulo Santoro Belangero
1   Centro de Traumatologia do Esporte (CETE), Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil
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Abstract

Objective To investigate the use of infiltration and nerve block in shoulder pain treatment by shoulder surgery specialists and compared the results with previous research conducted by our group in 2017.

Methods The present study consisted of a cross-sectional analysis of shoulder surgery specialists to investigate the use of infiltration and nerve block in treating shoulder pain. The survey employed a structured questionnaire addressing the clinical practice regarding these procedures. We collected and analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and associated analyses between variables, such as patient age and type of procedure performed.

Results The results revealed a high rate of infiltrations and nerve blocks for shoulder pain treatment, especially in patients over 40. The use of steroids and hyaluronic acid in infiltrations was common, particularly in shoulder osteoarthritis and partial rotator cuff tears. However, ultrasound guidance during the procedures was not frequent. Two thirds of respondents performed nerve blocks, mainly of the suprascapular nerve, with a low complication rate.

Conclusion The present study highlighted the prevalence and trends in clinical practice regarding infiltrations and nerve blocks in shoulder pain treatment. Despite the gaps identified, such as the low use of ultrasound guidance, the results provide valuable insights to improve therapeutic approaches and to consider the adoption of imaging technologies in the field.

Keywords

athrosis - infiltration - nerve block - shoulder - tendinopathy

Financial Support

The authors declare that they did not receive financial support from agencies in the public, private, or non-profit sectors to conduct the present study.


Work carried out at the Center of Sports Traumatology (CETE), Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-EPM/UNIFESP), SP, Brazil.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 24 April 2024

Accepted: 15 August 2024

Article published online:
11 April 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Paulo Henrique Schmidt Lara, Guilherme Martinez, Fabrício Infanti, Alberto de Castro Pochini, Benno Ejnisman, Paulo Santoro Belangero. Infiltração e bloqueio de nervo no ombro doloroso: Perspectivas e tendências atuais. Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2025; 60: s00441792098.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1792098
 

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