What is the evidence for exercise therapy in the treatment of shoulder pain?
Summary
Patient Population:
No information on patient population was provided.
Intervention:
The exercise programs implemented varied from study to study.
Comparison:
9 previous systematic reviews were identified for inclusion in the present review paper (6 Cochrane and 3 non-Cochrane reviews). While 2 focused on the treatment of OA – the reviews pertained to OA of the knee and of the hip. A single review was included examining the use of exercise-based therapy in the treatment of shoulder pain.
Outcome:
- Pain: exercise therapy vs. ‘various other treatments’ (3 studies) – significant difference in favour of exercise therapy (SMD = -0.30; 95% CI -0.48 to -0.1).
- Function: exercise therapy vs. ‘no/other interventions’ (4 studies) – significant difference in favour of exercise therapy (SMD=0.15; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.29).