Can Vitamin C Reduce the Risk of Postoperative Shoulder Stiffness?

Summary

Postoperative shoulder stiffness is a common complication after shoulder surgery (incidence 10-15%). The symptoms consist primarily in a painful impairment of the mobility of the glenohumeral joint, usually after initially good course. Cause and origin are not clear. Vitamin C is known as an inactivator of free radicals and plays a key role in building collagen tissue. Vitamin C thus has a modulating role in inflammatory reactions. Injured and ill people have been shown to have significantly increased vitamin C needs, which underlines this role. Evidence was also found that vitamin C has a positive influence on similar diseases such as the complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS, Morbus Sudeck) on the wrist and postoperative arthrofibrosis on the knee joint. The Investigators want to investigate whether vitamin C intake can positively influence the incidence and / or severity of postoperative shoulder stiffness after shoulder surgery. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effect of vitamin C on the external rotational ability of the operated shoulder in the glenohumeral joint compared to the opposite side at 12 weeks post surgery. Secondary objectives of this study are to investigate other shoulder mobility tests, patient-reported outcomes (level of pain, ability/return to work, smoking habits), patient-reported questionnaires (Constant Score, Oxford shoulder score, DASH score) and the incidence of a frozen shoulder at 6, 12, 26, and 52 weeks post surgery. Total duration of study: 2.5 years.

Timeline

Start

2021-04-27

Primary completion

2023-05-16

Completion

2024-04-21

Publications

• Background Cho CH, Song KS, Kim BS, Kim DH, Lho YM. Biological Aspect of Pathophysiology for Frozen Shoulder. Biomed Res Int. 2018 May 24;2018:7274517. doi: 10.1155/2018/7274517. eCollection 2018.
• Background Wong CK, Levine WN, Deo K, Kesting RS, Mercer EA, Schram GA, Strang BL. Natural history of frozen shoulder: fact or fiction? A systematic review. Physiotherapy. 2017 Mar;103(1):40-47. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2016.05.009. Epub 2016 Jun 21.
• Background Kim DH, Kim YS, Kim BS, Sung DH, Song KS, Cho CH. Is frozen shoulder completely resolved at 2 years after the onset of disease? J Orthop Sci. 2020 Mar;25(2):224-228. doi: 10.1016/j.jos.2019.03.011. Epub 2019 Apr 2.
• Background Aim F, Klouche S, Frison A, Bauer T, Hardy P. Efficacy of vitamin C in preventing complex regional pain syndrome after wrist fracture: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2017 May;103(3):465-470. doi: 10.1016/j.otsr.2016.12.021. Epub 2017 Mar 4.
• Background Kim JH, Kim YC, Nahm FS, Lee PB. The Therapeutic Effect of Vitamin C in an Animal Model of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Produced by Prolonged Hindpaw Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rats. Int J Med Sci. 2017 Jan 15;14(1):97-101. doi: 10.7150/ijms.17681. eCollection 2017.
• Background Chen S, Roffey DM, Dion CA, Arab A, Wai EK. Effect of Perioperative Vitamin C Supplementation on Postoperative Pain and the Incidence of Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin J Pain. 2016 Feb;32(2):179-85. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000218.
• Background Fukushima R, Yamazaki E. Vitamin C requirement in surgical patients. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2010 Nov;13(6):669-76. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32833e05bc.
• Background Behrend H, Lengnick H, Zdravkovic V, Ladurner A, Rudin D, Erschbamer M, Joerger M, Kuster M. Vitamin C demand is increased after total knee arthroplasty: a double-blind placebo-controlled-randomized study. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2019 Apr;27(4):1182-1188. doi: 10.1007/s00167-018-5030-3. Epub 2018 Jun 28.
• Background Giladi AM, Dossett LA, Fleming SB, Abumrad NN, Cotton BA. High-dose antioxidant administration is associated with a reduction in post-injury complications in critically ill trauma patients. Injury. 2011 Jan;42(1):78-82. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2010.01.104. Epub 2010 Feb 10.
• Background Rizzo JA, Rowan MP, Driscoll IR, Chung KK, Friedman BC. Vitamin C in Burn Resuscitation. Crit Care Clin. 2016 Oct;32(4):539-46. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2016.06.003. Epub 2016 Aug 2.
• Background Kleszczewski T, Modzelewska B, Lisowska A, Buzun L, Kleszczewska E. Levels of vitamin C In the blood plasma patients treated with coronary artery bypass grafting increases significantly after surgery. Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Jan;85:527-530. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.11.060. Epub 2016 Nov 24.
• Background Lee GW, Yang HS, Yeom JS, Ahn MW. The Efficacy of Vitamin C on Postoperative Outcomes after Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Clin Orthop Surg. 2017 Sep;9(3):317-324. doi: 10.4055/cios.2017.9.3.317. Epub 2017 Aug 4.
• Background Zollinger PE, Tuinebreijer WE, Breederveld RS, Kreis RW. Can vitamin C prevent complex regional pain syndrome in patients with wrist fractures? A randomized, controlled, multicenter dose-response study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2007 Jul;89(7):1424-31. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.F.01147.
• Background Zollinger PE, Tuinebreijer WE, Kreis RW, Breederveld RS. Effect of vitamin C on frequency of reflex sympathetic dystrophy in wrist fractures: a randomised trial. Lancet. 1999 Dec 11;354(9195):2025-8. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(99)03059-7.
• Background Traxer O, Huet B, Poindexter J, Pak CY, Pearle MS. Effect of ascorbic acid consumption on urinary stone risk factors. J Urol. 2003 Aug;170(2 Pt 1):397-401. doi: 10.1097/01.ju.0000076001.21606.53.
• Background Thomas LD, Elinder CG, Tiselius HG, Wolk A, Akesson A. Ascorbic acid supplements and kidney stone incidence among men: a prospective study. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 Mar 11;173(5):386-8. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.2296. No abstract available.
• Background Prier M, Carr AC, Baillie N. No Reported Renal Stones with Intravenous Vitamin C Administration: A Prospective Case Series Study. Antioxidants (Basel). 2018 May 21;7(5):68. doi: 10.3390/antiox7050068.
• Background Mitch WE, Johnson MW, Kirshenbaum JM, Lopez RE. Effect of large oral doses of ascorbic acid on uric acid excretion by normal subjects. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1981 Mar;29(3):318-21. doi: 10.1038/clpt.1981.42.
• Background Auer BL, Auer D, Rodgers AL. The effect of ascorbic acid ingestion on the biochemical and physicochemical risk factors associated with calcium oxalate kidney stone formation. Clin Chem Lab Med. 1998 Mar;36(3):143-7. doi: 10.1515/CCLM.1998.027.
• Background Levine M, Conry-Cantilena C, Wang Y, Welch RW, Washko PW, Dhariwal KR, Park JB, Lazarev A, Graumlich JF, King J, Cantilena LR. Vitamin C pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers: evidence for a recommended dietary allowance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Apr 16;93(8):3704-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.8.3704.
• Background Padayatty SJ, Levine M. Vitamin C: the known and the unknown and Goldilocks. Oral Dis. 2016 Sep;22(6):463-93. doi: 10.1111/odi.12446. Epub 2016 Apr 14.
• Background Zhang M, Jativa DF. Vitamin C supplementation in the critically ill: A systematic review and meta-analysis. SAGE Open Med. 2018 Oct 19;6:2050312118807615. doi: 10.1177/2050312118807615. eCollection 2018.
• Background Gerster H. No contribution of ascorbic acid to renal calcium oxalate stones. Ann Nutr Metab. 1997;41(5):269-82. doi: 10.1159/000177954.
• Background Zuckerman JD, Rokito A. Frozen shoulder: a consensus definition. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2011 Mar;20(2):322-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2010.07.008. Epub 2010 Nov 4.
• Background Mejia-Hernandez K, Chang A, Eardley-Harris N, Jaarsma R, Gill TK, McLean JM. Smartphone applications for the evaluation of pathologic shoulder range of motion and shoulder scores-a comparative study. JSES Open Access. 2018 Mar 13;2(1):109-114. doi: 10.1016/j.jses.2017.10.001. eCollection 2018 Mar.

Drugs

Indications