Shoulder fractures - an interview study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Living with a shoulder fracture - an interview study
IRAS ID
327337
Contact name
Pauline May
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Shoulder fractures are painful injuries and are the third most common fracture in adults. More and more people are having these injuries each year. Problems such as pain, swelling and lack of movement and strength can last for many months and some people never get back to their previous levels of ability with the injured arm.
Information that is given to people following this injury can be very difficult to understand. To improve the information that is given to people following a shoulder fracture, it is necessary to understand what it is like to live with a shoulder fracture and what is important to people recovering from this injury.
This study will interview people who have had a shoulder fracture at around one month and around 4-6 months after their injury. These people will be identified from a physiotherapy waiting list. The interviews will explore people’s views on their injury, their recovery and how their needs and priorities change over time.
Summary of results
Breaking a bone in the shoulder area (a shoulder fracture) is a common injury but is very painful and the recovery can be long. Many people don’t get a full recovery. The aim of this study was to ask people after a shoulder fracture what it was like to live with this injury.
We asked people what it was like to live with their shoulder injury, what information was important to them and how their views on recovery changed over time. A group of people who had a shoulder fracture helped decide what questions to ask during the study.
Between June and November 2023, we invited people who had a shoulder fracture to take part in the study. We interviewed people on the telephone about two months after their injury and again five to six months after their injury.
A diverse group of fourteen people took part in the study (age 44-80; three male, 11 female; one Indian, one Pakistani, 12 white British). The telephone interviews were recorded and written out. Each written interview was analysed in detail and themes were identified from the interviews.
The themes that were identified were: dependence, vulnerability, information needs and recovery.
Dependence meant not being able to do daily activities and being reliant on others, with a loss of identity. “For the first 2 or 3 weeks were horrendous, my Mum had to actually get me in the shower, wait while I was in the shower, get me out of the shower, dress me. It was like going back to being a child basically.” Participant 1, first interview.
People still felt vulnerable, and still were afraid of falling six months after their injury. “I’m having to use a walking stick ‘cause I wasn’t unsteady before I broke my shoulder. It’s like I’m, I’m frightened of falling all the time.” Participant 13, first interview.
The amount of information that people could manage, or what they wanted changed over time. Initially, people didn’t want too much information, they just wanted to know what injury they had and how to manage it. “I was in so much pain I couldn’t have taken in any more information anyway.” Participant 4, first interview. Later, they wanted reassurance and information on how to recover better. “I did think the physio there was really good, I felt a lot better when I came out because he did explain a lot of the things, so I felt quite bucked up when I came out after seeing him.” Participant 6, first interview.
Recovery meant different things to different people, but most focused on having less pain and being able to do their daily activities. “It's being back at work and, having my identity return.” Participant 11, second interview. Most felt that they didn’t have full recovery at six months, but that they were well on the way to recovery. “I think to get full movement, and pain free, which is almost achieved. I’m only 6 months in so I know I’ve got to be patient but I’m very optimistic.” Participant 4, second interview. “I understand that breaking your shoulder is quite a big thing and it may never be 100% but just being able to get on with activities and life as I could before I fell.” Participant1, second interview. Some felt that they would never fully recover and that their shoulder would always be different to before the injury.
This is the first study to ask people what it was like to live with a shoulder fracture, at different times during their recovery. People who work with those who have had a shoulder fracture need to know how much this injury can affect their life and their confidence. This knowledge can help guide people to a full recovery. People may recover better when individual factors are considered.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EM/0115
Date of REC Opinion
10 May 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion