To explore how people perceive different forms of education for rotator cuff-related shoulder pain in terms of words or feelings evoked by the education and treatments they feel are needed.

We performed a content analysis of qualitative data collected in a randomised experiment.

2237 participants with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain were randomly assigned to receive three forms of education: best practice education, best practice education plus pain science messages and structure-focused education.

After receiving the education, participants answered two questions regarding (1) words or feelings evoked by the education and (2) treatments they felt were needed.

2232 responses for each question were analysed (99.7% response rate). Participants who received best practice education more frequently expressed feelings of unhappiness/frustration. The addition of pain science messages to best practice education resulted in slightly more emotional responses and a greater sense of being validated or cared for. In contrast, participants who received structure-focused education more frequently expressed trust in the clinician’s expertise and the need for medication, activity modification, rest, diagnostic imaging, injections and surgery. These participants also less frequently considered exercise as a viable treatment option.

Participants with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain expressed generally similar emotional responses across groups, with small differences in treatment preferences favouring self-management in the best practice education groups compared with those who received structure-focused education. Those in the best practice education also less frequently reported needing potentially unnecessary treatments (eg, imaging, injections and surgery).

Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12623000197639).