Passive mobilisation of the shoulder in subacute stroke patients with persistent arm paresis: A randomised multiple treatment trial.
Anke van Bladel, Ann Cools, Marc Michielsen and 2 others
PMID 35281779WHAT IT FOUND
Combined soft tissue mobilisation increased passive shoulder external rotation by about 7 degrees in stroke patients with arm weakness.
Scapular and standard angular mobilisation both decreased external rotation. No other range of motion or pain measures differed between techniques.
Key findings
01Combined soft tissue mobilisation resulted in a significant increase in passive shoulder external rotation, whereas scapular and angular mobilisation techniques resulted in decreases.
02There were no significant differences between the three mobilisation techniques for shoulder flexion, abduction, pain levels, spasticity, or upper limb motor recovery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 11 participants, making the results preliminary and difficult to generalise. Patients were in the subacute phase of stroke, so their condition was still naturally changing, although motor scores did not differ between periods. There was no true control group (no treatment), as scapular mobilisation was used as a comparator for ethical reasons. Pain was measured by self-report, which can be unreliable in stroke patients due to sensory impairments. The study did not include patients with better upper limb function, who would likely receive active therapy instead.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted at the Rehabilitation Centre of the Ghent University Hospital.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that combined soft tissue mobilisation is proven superior for overall shoulder health or pain prevention. The positive effect was limited to external rotation in a very small sample of 11 people, and no significant differences were found for pain, flexion, or abduction.