Development of initial recommendations for phenotyping shoulder pain in patients with Diabetes Mellitus

• Grant number: 23/05073-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 29, 2023
• End date: December 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Paula Rezende Camargo
• Grantee: Lívia Bernardi Nardini
• Supervisor: Jo Nijs
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/14258-9 - Physiotherapeutic evaluation of the shoulder complex in patients with Diabetes Mellitus, BP.IC

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a global health concern affecting over half a billion people and leading to serious complications with high treatment costs and reduced quality of life. Shoulder pain is reported in patients with DM, impacting their daily activities and healthcare utilization. Pain is a complex phenomenon categorized into nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic pain according to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). However, there is limited research on pain phenotypes in patients with DM, specifically in the shoulder region. Precision medicine, which tailors treatment plans based on individual characteristics, has been successful in other populations, and accurate phenotyping is crucial as different pain mechanisms require specific management approaches. This study aims to develop initial recommendations for phenotyping shoulder pain in patients with DM to guide personalized pain management strategies. The IASP clinical criteria for nociplastic pain and neuropathic pain will be used, along with a literature review of pain phenotyping methods in other populations and shoulder pain in patients with DM. Case descriptions will also be provided to illustrate shoulder pain phenotyping in these patients. A multidisciplinary group of experts will refine the recommendations, and a manuscript will be produced. We expect that the initial recommendations for shoulder pain phenotyping in patients with DM will serve as the basis for the future development of guidelines that can direct this population towards personalized treatment based on pain mechanisms. (AU)