Physical Therapy Interventions for the Management of Biceps Tendinopathy: An International Delphi Study.
Amy W McDevitt, Joshua A Cleland, Simone Addison and 2 others
PMID 35693861WHAT IT FOUND
A Delphi panel of physical therapy experts recommended multimodal care for biceps tendinopathy, favoring exercise, stretching, some manual therapy and education, while disagreeing on ultrasound, laser and shock wave.
This is expert consensus, not proof that these treatments work.
Key findings
01Experts agreed that care should be multimodal and based on pragmatic, impairment-focused decision making.
02Experts reached consensus agreement on tendon loading techniques and stretching/flexibility for biceps tendinopathy.
03Experts reached consensus disagreement on most biophysical agents, including ultrasound, laser therapy and shock wave therapy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was an expert consensus process, not a trial in patients, so it reports what respondents agreed rather than what was proven to work. Only 31 experts completed Round I and 29 contributed to final consensus, and respondents were those willing to participate, so they may not represent all shoulder experts. Definitions of biceps tendinopathy, manual therapy and biophysical agents may not have been used the same way by respondents from different countries. The panel disagreed or failed to reach consensus on several interventions, so the study does not provide a single tested protocol.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the consensus as proof that these treatments work. The study did not measure patient outcomes, so it only shows what experts agreed to recommend.