Hydrodilatation With Corticosteroid for the Treatment of Adhesive Capsulitis: A Systematic Review

This report has been verified by one or more authors of the original publication.

6 randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review to determine if the addition of hydrodilatation to a corticosteroid injection provides an improvement in pain-free range of motion and pain relief in patients with adhesive capsulitis. The results of this systematic review indicated that for range of motion results at 4-6 weeks, one of three studies reported a significant difference in favour of the hydrodilatation group, at 8-12 weeks, two of four studies reported a significant difference in favour of the hydrodilatation group, and at 16-24 weeks, neither of two studies reported a significant difference in favour of the hydrodilatation group. The available evidence indicates inconsistent results for the use of hydrodilatation in addition to intraarticular injection of corticosteroid for adhesive capsulitis and highlights the need for additional studies that use uniform treatments and outcome measures.