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Original Article
Online Published: 13 Jul 2026
 


Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome

Faya Ali Asiri, Almotheby Abdullah, Abdullah Mohammed A Asiri, Majed Abdullah M Al Hoban, Sami Aoudah T Aldhabaan, Ashaq Mubarak A Alqahtani, Nawaf Mohammed Altayyib, Habib Yousef Aldabbab, Abdulrahman Mohammed Yahya Al Sawidan, Mohammed Saleh Ali Al Thaiban.


Abstract
Objective:
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of side sleeping and its association with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS).
Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2024 and October 2025 among patients with chronic shoulder pain attending Ahad Rufaidah Hospital in Aseer Province, Southern Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using the medical records and patients with musculoskeletal disorders, orthopedic metastatic cancer, or traumatic shoulder pain were excluded.
Results:
Among 110 participants (mean age 43.9±15.1 years; 52.7% male), 82.7% had chronic diseases (diabetes 37.3%, hypertension 33.6%). Side sleeping was reported by 75.5% of participants, but there was no significant relationship with the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) scores, the side on which pain was felt, or the specific location of the pain. In contrast, a longer duration of pain was linked to older age (p-value=0.012), the presence of chronic diseases (p-value=0.010), diabetes (p-value=0.004), hypertension (p-value=0.030), the fetal sleeping position (p-value=0.030), and short sleep duration (less than 6 hours, p-value=0.024). Patients who underwent surgery had significantly lower pain (median 21 vs. 30, p-value=0.004) and disability scores (median 25 vs. 45.5, p-value<0.001). Patient awareness of sleep-related factors was moderate (median score 3/7).
Conclusion:
Side sleeping was highly prevalent but not independently linked to greater pain or disability severity. The findings emphasized on the multifactorial nature of SIS, where specific sleep behaviors, sleep quality, and systemic comorbidities were found to be more strongly associated with longer pain duration. Management should extend beyond sleep position modification.

Key words: Shoulder Impingement Syndrome (SIS), sleep position, side sleeping, shoulder pain, SPADI, Saudi Arabia


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Asiri FA, Abdullah A, Asiri AMA, Hoban MAMA, Aldhabaan SAT, Alqahtani AMA, Altayyib NM, Aldabbab HY, Sawidan AMYA, Thaiban MSAA. Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. IJMDC. Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418

Web Style

Asiri FA, Abdullah A, Asiri AMA, Hoban MAMA, Aldhabaan SAT, Alqahtani AMA, Altayyib NM, Aldabbab HY, Sawidan AMYA, Thaiban MSAA. Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=315574 [Access: July 14, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Asiri FA, Abdullah A, Asiri AMA, Hoban MAMA, Aldhabaan SAT, Alqahtani AMA, Altayyib NM, Aldabbab HY, Sawidan AMYA, Thaiban MSAA. Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. IJMDC. Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Asiri FA, Abdullah A, Asiri AMA, Hoban MAMA, Aldhabaan SAT, Alqahtani AMA, Altayyib NM, Aldabbab HY, Sawidan AMYA, Thaiban MSAA. Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. IJMDC, [cited July 14, 2026]; Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418


Harvard Style

Asiri, F. A., Abdullah, . A., Asiri, . A. M. A., Hoban, . M. A. M. A., Aldhabaan, . S. A. T., Alqahtani, . A. M. A., Altayyib, . N. M., Aldabbab, . H. Y., Sawidan, . A. M. Y. A. & Thaiban, . M. S. A. A. (2026) Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. IJMDC, Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418


Turabian Style

Asiri, Faya Ali, Almotheby Abdullah, Abdullah Mohammed A Asiri, Majed Abdullah M Al Hoban, Sami Aoudah T Aldhabaan, Ashaq Mubarak A Alqahtani, Nawaf Mohammed Altayyib, Habib Yousef Aldabbab, Abdulrahman Mohammed Yahya Al Sawidan, and Mohammed Saleh Ali Al Thaiban. 2026. Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418


Chicago Style

Asiri, Faya Ali, Almotheby Abdullah, Abdullah Mohammed A Asiri, Majed Abdullah M Al Hoban, Sami Aoudah T Aldhabaan, Ashaq Mubarak A Alqahtani, Nawaf Mohammed Altayyib, Habib Yousef Aldabbab, Abdulrahman Mohammed Yahya Al Sawidan, and Mohammed Saleh Ali Al Thaiban. "Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Asiri, Faya Ali, Almotheby Abdullah, Abdullah Mohammed A Asiri, Majed Abdullah M Al Hoban, Sami Aoudah T Aldhabaan, Ashaq Mubarak A Alqahtani, Nawaf Mohammed Altayyib, Habib Yousef Aldabbab, Abdulrahman Mohammed Yahya Al Sawidan, and Mohammed Saleh Ali Al Thaiban. "Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. Web. 14 Jul 2026 doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Asiri, F. A., Abdullah, . A., Asiri, . A. M. A., Hoban, . M. A. M. A., Aldhabaan, . S. A. T., Alqahtani, . A. M. A., Altayyib, . N. M., Aldabbab, . H. Y., Sawidan, . A. M. Y. A. & Thaiban, . M. S. A. A. (2026) Side sleeping and association with shoulder impingement syndrome. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, Online First: 13 Jul, 2026. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1774782418




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