Nine studies with a total of 1,051 patients were included. All studies assessed ADL, whilst 5 studies assessed neuromuscular outcomes and 4 studies assessed functional outcomes.
ADL.
The unbiased overall summary ES was 0.28 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.16, 0.41, p<0.001). Lower summary ESs were found for studies in which experimental and control groups were treated in the same setting (summary ES 0.19, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.36, p<0.05), compared with studies in which the two groups of patients were treated in different settings (summary ES 0.40, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.58, p<0.001). No significant heterogeneity was found either within, or between, any of the above groups.
Functional and neuromuscular outcome parameters.
The variables defined on a neuromuscular level showed a larger unbiased summary ES (0.37, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.62, p<0.01) than those defined on a functional level (0.10, 95% CI: -0.10, +0.30).