The purpose of the current study was to examine the
interrelationships among changes in pain, changes in
social interaction, and changes in QOL from baseline,
to the end of treatment, and again 4 weeks later. This
study is a companion to a study that examined
primary outcomes, both physical and psychological
from treating shoulder pain. The primary outcomes
from that study are detailed in a separate article.9
Stated briefly, the physical and psychological findings
turned out to be highly significant. There was a significant
difference on all physical measures in the treatment
group. Participants in the treatment group were significantly
better after 12 weeks on measures of pain and
strength compared with a control group that received
only education about the shoulder. When compared
with the control group at the end of treatment, there
was a significant difference on community activity
levels. Likewise, there was a significant improvement
on subjective QOL. However, that study did not
examine the interactions among those variables in an
attempt to discover potential causal linkages.