Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Studies were included if they met five criteria: (1) patients had shoulder pain at inclusion; (2) treatments were allocated by a random procedure; (3) at least one of the treatments included physiotherapy; (4) success rate, pain, mobility, or functional status were included as outcome measures; (5) results were published as a full report before January 1996.
Specific interventions included in the review
Ultrasound (continuous and pulsed), pulsed electromagnetic fields, magnotherapy, low-level laser, tolmetin sodium and steroid injection, acupuncture, exercises, arthroscopic resection of bursae and acromion, mobilisation, steroid injection, transcutaneous electrical stimulation (constant), Ga-As-Al laser, Maitland mobilisations, ice packs, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation exercises, no treatment, infrared laser, naproxen tablets, constant voltage electrotherapy, forced manipulation, hydrocortisone injection, diathermy, aspirin, exercises, thermotherapy, dexamethasone iontophoresis, analgesics and muscle relaxants, ice, triamcinolone injection, infrared heat, hydrocortisone intra-articular injection, hydrocortisone tendon injection, analgesics, and placebo.
Participants included in the review
Patients treated with physiotherapy for disorders of soft tissue of the shoulder were included.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The outcomes were success rates, mobility, pain and functional status.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The initial screening of studies was undertaken by one reviewer; two additional reviewers selected those trials from the initial screening that contained patients with soft tissue shoulder disorders.