Effect of manipulation by maitland method in the treatment of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: case studies

Abstract

Introduction: Adhesive capsulitis, also called frozen shoulder, affects about 3-5% of the population, especially in the age group 40 to 60 years, affecting more women and having an insidious onset. Objective: Analyze the isolated effect of joint manipulation by Maitland method in treating patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder, the level of pain, range of motions of the shoulder and functional capacity. Method: It is about a cases studies in which four volunteers underwent protocol Maitland to shoulder for 15 sessions. The evaluation instruments used were the Visual Analog Scale, Goniometer and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index to measure the level of disability of the shoulder. Results: There was decreased pain from 55.5 to 80.0%, increased all range of motions, especially flexion of the shoulder, with more than 100% gains in the four cases investigated and improved functional capacity between 27.9 – 91.9%. Conclusion: These results suggest that the therapy had improved outcomes assessed, as clinically relevant contribution, but indicate the need to develop more studies to prove the effectiveness of the method isolated.