Outcomes of ketorolac versus depomedrol infiltrations for subacromial impingement syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose Local subacromial infiltration with steroids is a common method of treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome. However, the use of steroids has concerns like tendon rupture, articular cartilage changes and infections. Local NSAIDs infiltration has recently been tried in literature. This study compares the effect of subacromial injections of ketorolac with steroids. Methods A randomized controlled study was planned with 35 patients in each group. Patients in group-1 were infiltrated with subacromial ketorolac (60 mg with 2% lignocaine) and in group-2 with a steroid (methylprednisolone-40 mg with 2% lignocaine). A similar rehabilitation protocol was followed, and clinical outcomes were analyzed using visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and shoulder pain and disability score (SPADI) and range of motion at one-month and three-months follow-up. Results Total data of 67 patients were analyzed, as three patients were lost to follow-up. In group 1, mean VAS improved from 7.9 ± 0.95 to 3.19 ± 0.81 ( p