Structured literature review: ‘What is the effectiveness of rotator cuff exercises and scapular stabilisation exercises as an intervention for reducing pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome?’
Item
- Title
- Structured literature review: ‘What is the effectiveness of rotator cuff exercises and scapular stabilisation exercises as an intervention for reducing pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome?’
- Author(s)
- Hutchison, M
- Abstract
- Background Shoulder pain is commonly presented to primary healthcare practitioners with subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) a common aetiology. Pain is the most common complaint by patients with conservative measures favoured over surgical intervention. Scapular focussed and rotator cuff exercises are commonly prescribed by clinicians as the first line of conservative treatment. There is yet to be a review that compares the effectiveness of the two strategies as an intervention for pain reduction in SIS. Objectives The objective of this review was to answer the research question: What is the effectiveness of rotator cuff exercises and scapular stabilisation exercises as an intervention for reducing pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome? Design A structured literature review of randomised trials published between 2009-2019. Methods The author conducted a systematic search of databases Science Direct, PubMed, Cochrane Library and PEDro using specific keywords and utilising Boolean logic where applicable. An inclusion and exclusion criteria was applied to the search results before a final refinement led to the eventual studies for appraisal. Each article was assessed for methodological quality using the JADAD and PEDro scales. Data regarding participant details and pre-and post-intervention pain outcomes were recorded in tables and effect size was calculated when appropriate using the Cohen’s d effect size. Results Six studies met the authors inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Five of the included studies were of moderate to high quality and one was of fair quality. All reported studies demonstrated improvements in pain levels with varied effect sizes. Discussion Results provided support to current evidence that both scapular and rotator cuff exercises are effective in reducing pain in SIS. However, results were inconclusive in support of one intervention being superior to another. Limited literature regarding the specific type of exercise and duration of prescription needs to be expanded on. Conclusions This review supports current literature in that scapular and rotator cuff exercises are beneficial for reducing pain in SIS, however it is inconclusive if one intervention is superior to another. Studies with larger sample sizes and stricter methodology are required to provide results with more clinical significance.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2020
- Date Submitted
- 28.10.2020 18:08:19
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16667
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Exercise, Pain, Rehabilitation, Shoulder
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Hutchison, M, “Structured literature review: ‘What is the effectiveness of rotator cuff exercises and scapular stabilisation exercises as an intervention for reducing pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome?’”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 5, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/188