仲有一樣好多人擔心:痛醒得咁犀利,係咪代表條筋愈爛愈深?痛楚程度其實同撕裂大小並冇一致關係——一項 393 人嘅橫斷面研究發現,痛得犀唔犀利同撕裂嚴唔嚴重唔掛鈎,反而同心理社會因素更相關(Dunn et al. 2014)。所以單憑「好痛」唔使即刻諗到最壞。不過有一個例外要留意:如果本來唔痛嘅膊頭由唔痛變成持續痛,前瞻性監察研究顯示呢種轉變同撕裂擴大有關連(Keener et al. 2015),呢個情況值得搵人重新評估,唔好死忍。至於有人問「夜痛咁辛苦,不如打支針止咗佢先」——類固醇注射嘅止痛效果短暫、長期冇著數,詳細證據我哋喺肩袖撕裂打針食藥嘅證據評析拆解咗,決定前值得睇睇。
有人會問:改到咁細緻,係咪一定要跟到足先有效?漸進負荷嘅大方向有隨機對照試驗支持——GRASP 試驗比較漸進運動計劃同最佳實務建議,兩組一年結果相若(Hopewell et al. 2021),即係話關鍵唔在乎做法有幾精細複雜,而在乎方向正確、持續咁用返隻手。日常分級調整係「用得其法」,而肌力同耐力就要靠系統性訓練建返——兩樣係一套嘅,具體處方喺肩袖撕裂分階段運動治療有詳細分期講法。唔少人喺醫管局骨科專科排期等緊見醫生,呢段等候期正正係自我負荷管理加運動治療最應該開始嘅時間,唔好白等。
「條筋都爛咗,仲郁會唔會愈整愈壞?」呢個擔心可以理解,但數據畀到啲底氣:一項三臂隨機對照試驗將非創傷性肩袖撕裂患者分做淨物理治療、減壓手術加物理治療、修補手術三組,一年後結果並無顯著分別(Kukkonen et al. 2014)。另一個角度係,無症狀嘅肩袖撕裂本身好普遍——影像研究發現撕裂盛行率隨年齡上升,五十幾歲約 13%,到八十幾歲超過一半人都有(Tempelhof et al. 1999)。即係話好多人條筋有裂口,照樣行街買餸冇事。撕裂唔等於報廢,用得其法先係重點。
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