Research Updates

Surgery isn’t always the answer for shoulder pain

Lauren Finestone

Five years of evidence shows shoulder decompression surgery offers no advantage over placebo or physiotherapy for improvements in pain and function.

For years, persistent shoulder pain came with a familiar explanation and an equally familiar solution. If pain flared when lifting your arm, the diagnosis was often shoulder impingement. A bone spur was said to be pinching the rotator cuff tendon, so shaving that bone through arthroscopic subacromial decompression should fix the problem. It became one of the most commonly performed shoulder surgeries worldwide. But 5-year results from a landmar...

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Published 18 August, 2026