Epidemiology and Clinical Insights into Shoulder Pathologies: An Analysis of Patient Data from the Sydney Shoulder Research Institute

Abstract

Dysfunctions and pain in the shoulder are a prevalent musculoskeletal condition and a key area for clinical research. This paper looks into the etiology, epidemiology, and risk factors associated with shoulder pathologies based on a data set from the Sydney Shoulder Research Institute (SSRI) that spans a cohort between the years 2015 and 2024.
A cohort was retrospectively designed to analyze the demography of patients, their injury mechanisms, symptoms durations, and the symptoms of joint that are associated with it. The findings pointed out that the male gender was more likely to encounter traumatic injuries when compared to the females who reported degenerative conditions of the shoulder such as rotator cuff tendinitis. The age and symptom duration of the patients pointed to a significant correlation to chronic shoulder disorders where above 42% experienced the symptoms for more than a year. Injury causes vary from trauma due to sports to degenerated conditions.
The study pinpoints the role that hand dominance plays, and the impact of contralateral shoulder and knee pathologies. Results highlighted the need for early diagnosis and implementing of ideal management measures to handle the long-term healthcare impacts.