Suprascapular Nerve Block for Ipsilateral Shoulder Pain After Thoracotomy with Thoracic Epidural Analgesia: A Double-Blind Comparison of 0.5% Bupivacaine and 0.9% Saline

This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial showed that suprascapular nerve block does not treat the severe ipsilateral shoulder pain that patients experience after thoracotomy. This has implications for established theories of referred pain and indicates that this pain is unlikely to originate in the shoulder.