Investigating the Relationship between Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Adults with Shoulder Pain

The most common cause of shoulder pain among older adults is rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP). While exercise therapy is often recommended for RCRSP, the relationship between physical activity levels and symptoms related to quality-of-life (QoL) is unclear. This study investigated: i) whether higher physical activity levels were related to better self-reported QoL outcomes and ii) whether those who self-reported participation in exercises that target their painful shoulder have better self-reported QoL outcomes than those who report primarily whole-body exercise. 46 participants with RCRSP completed 16 self-reported QoL questionnaires. Physical activity levels (moderate-vigorous physical activity and average step-count) were also measured objectively using an accelerometer. Participants that regularly completed shoulder-specific exercise had significantly higher exercise self-efficacy than those who completed non-specific exercise (p=0.0034). This result suggests that strategies to boost exercise self-efficacy may be important in older adults with RCRSP, as this could potentially affect rehabilitation compliance in this population.