RESEARCH ARTICLE Ultrasound-diagnosed diso s

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Shoulder pain is a common and disabling complaint in general practice with often a poor prognosis [1-4]. Almost 90 % of patients with shoulder pain are diagnosed and treated in general practice, while only 10 % are referred for a specialist opinion [5]. Accurately diagnosing patients with shoulder pain is, however, a complex problem. Tailor-ing treatment to the underlying disorder is difficult for gen-eral practitioners (GPs), as the medical history and physical examination do not provide conclusive evidence on the patho-anatomical origin of the symptoms [1]. Of the cur-rently available additional diagnostic imaging tests, ultra-sound imaging (US) is considered an accurate and widely available method to diagnose subacromial disorders [6-9]. Subacromial disorders are considered the most common pathology affecting the shoulder. The spectrum of suba