Does common NHS shoulder surgery work?

Results from the first placebo-controlled trial in shoulder surgery, suggest that decompression surgery may not be as effective as first thought. Image credit: Shutterstock The clinical treatment benefits of shoulder decompression surgery may be no more effective than no treatment at all, according to new Oxford University research. Painful shoulders account for 2.4% of all GP consultations in the UK, and can make it difficult to work, drive or get dressed. Decompression surgery is often used to treat people with shoulder impingement, when a tendon rubs and catches in the shoulder joint. The surgery has become increasingly popular and is carried out on approximately 21,000 people a year in the UK. Newly published in The Lancet, results from the first placebo-controlled trial in shoulder surgery, suggest that decompression surgery may not be as effective as first thought. The findings have revealed that the surgery is no better at relieving pain than a placebo and that while both options were fractionally more effective at treating pain than having no surgery at all, the differences were minimal and unlikely to offer noticeable relief.