Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to evaluate if there is an association between the side
of unilateral shoulder pain and the patient's preferred sleeping position and if the
preferred sleeping position is related to which side of a double bed one lies in.
Methods
In a cross-sectional study, adult patients seeking chiropractic care with unilateral
shoulder pain were asked about sleeping position and, if sleeping with a partner,
which side of the bed they slept in. A total of 83 participants were included from
10 chiropractic clinics. Associations were cross-tabulated and tested by Fisher exact
test.
Results
The pain was in the right shoulder in 55% (95 % confidence interval, 46-66) of the
participants with unilateral pain. The side of shoulder pain was associated to the
side patients slept on, with 67% of those sleeping on one side lying on the painful
shoulder (P = .02). Moreover, patients were more likely to turn away from their partner at night,
and 76% slept on the side opposite their partner (P < .001).
Conclusions
Patients with unilateral shoulder pain were more likely to sleep on the side of the
painful shoulder than on the pain-free side and reported to turn away from their partners
in bed. It is unknown whether the observed associations are causal, but it is worth
investigating whether a change in sleeping position has a positive effect on patients
with shoulder pain and if this can be achieved simply by changing side of sleeping
in bed.
Key Indexing Terms
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 21, 2012
Accepted:
March 1,
2012
Received in revised form:
February 25,
2012
Received:
August 19,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
