Abstract:Purpose:To investigate the effect of Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) on pain, kinesiophobia and disability in chronic shoulder pain patients.Relevance: Chronic shoulder pain is a complex and multidimension...Purpose:To investigate the effect of Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) on pain, kinesiophobia and disability in chronic shoulder pain patients.Relevance: Chronic shoulder pain is a complex and multidimensional phenomena with multiple causative factors involved in its perpetuation.GMI, an important technique in the rehabilitation, aims to restore cortical representation.Participents: Twenty four subjects in the age group of 40 to 65 years diagnosed with unilateral chronic shoulder pain were recruited.Subjects with partial or full thickness rotator cuff tears, any trauma or surgery of the upper limb were excluded from the study.Written informed consent was obtained.Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to either GMI or control group.GMI group received sequential treatment in three sectionslaterality recognition task, motor imagery and mirror therapy in addition to conventional therapy and control group received only conventional therapy for 4 weeks, 3 sessions per week.The assessments included pain using numerical pain rating scale, kinesiophobia using Tampa scale of kinesiophobia (TSK) and disability using Shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) were performed pre and post intervention.Analysis: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 24.P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Unpaired test was used to compare the difference in mean values in GMI and control group.Results: The GMI group showed greater improvement in pain intensity (p = 0.028), Tampa scale of kinesiophobia (p = 0.004) and SPADI (p = 0.029) as compared with the control group using unpaired t test Conclusion: Thus, we conclude that graded motor imagery can be an effective intervention for the treatment of patients with chronic shoulder pain and provides strong evidence in reducing pain, kinesiophobia and disability.Implications: Chronic pain requires a comprehensive rehabilitation approach that targets the biopsychosocial model.Graded motor imagery established on a neuroscience basis aims to normalize the cortical proprioceptive representation and reduce pain.Hence, this strategy should be incorporated in the management of chronic shoulder pain patients.Read More