Guided exercises with or without joint mobilization or no treatment in patients with subacromial pain syndrome: A clinical trial.
Anna Eliason, Marita Harringe, Björn Engström and 1 others
PMID 33634829WHAT IT FOUND
Guided exercises improved shoulder function in patients with subacromial pain syndrome.
Adding joint mobilization to the exercises provided no extra benefit for function or range of motion, but did reduce pain more quickly in the first six weeks.
Key findings
01Both guided exercise groups achieved clinically important improvements in shoulder function compared to the no-treatment control group.
02Adding joint mobilization to guided exercises did not result in better shoulder function or range of motion compared to guided exercises alone.
03Patients receiving joint mobilization had significantly less pain during movement in the first six weeks compared to those doing exercises alone or no treatment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The trial was registered retrospectively, which reduces transparency regarding potential changes to the study plan. The groups were unequal in size due to the randomization method, which may affect statistical power. Follow-up was limited to 6 months, so the long-term durability of the effects is unknown. The study excluded patients with bilateral shoulder pain, diabetes, or previous corticosteroid injections, so results may not apply to these common comorbidities.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that joint mobilization is superior to exercise for overall recovery. The improvement in function was similar between the two exercise groups, and the benefit of mobilization was limited to faster pain reduction in the first six weeks.