What is the evidence for manual and manipulative therapy in the treatment of a rotator cuff pathology?
AMSTAR Rating
Summary
Patient Population:
No information on the patient population was provided.
Intervention:
The manual and manipulative therapy techniques varied from study to study.
Comparison:
11 studies (4 placebo-controlled RCTs, 4 comparative treatment RCTs, 2 non-RCT clinical trials and 1 case report) were identified for inclusion in the review. Comparison groups varied; some were placebo-controlled studies, while others compared manipulation to various forms of exercise therapy which were often not well described.
Outcome:
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The authors report Level B (fair) evidence to support manual and manipulative therapy of the shoulder, shoulder girdle and/or FKC combined with multimodal or exercise therapy in individuals with rotator cuff injury, disorder and/or disease.
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In general, the authors suggest that treatment conditions that combined manipulation with soft tissue treatment and exercise therapy tended to be associated with better outcomes than treatments that did not provide multimodal therapy. However, manipulation alone still appeared to provide a better result than no treatment.
