The effect of body awareness on shoulder functionality and psychological factors in individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy

Introduction This study examined associations between body awareness, shoulder function, body image, and psychological factors in individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) compared with asymptomatic controls. Material and methods Twenty-five adults aged 30–65 years with RCT and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Pain intensity and shoulder range of motion were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and a digital goniometer‥ Patient-reported outcomes included shoulder pain and functional status assessed by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, body awareness (Body Awareness Questionnaire [BAQ]), body image (Body Image Scale [BIS]), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and disease-specific quality of life (Rotator Cuff Quality of Life Questionnaire [RC-QoL]). Results Comparedwith the controls, RCT patients showed impaired function, reduced body awareness and body image; higher kinesiophobia, anxiety and depression; and lower quality of life, greater pain and limited motion. A significant negative correlation was determined between pain and quality of life. VAS-R showed a negative correlation with the emotional ( r = –0.608, p = 0.001) and work-related ( r = –0.550, p = 0.004) sub-areas of RC-QoL, while VAS-activity showed a significant negative correlation with ASES scores ( r = -0.578, p = 0.002). Furthermore, the BAQ showed a negative correlation with the BIS ( r = –0.497, p = 0.011). Conclusions The associations of body awareness and body image with functional outcomes emphasise the importance of a biopsychosocial approach in rehabilitation and support the need for larger studies.