Which Multimodal Physiotherapy Treatment Is the Most Effective in People with Shoulder Pain? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

Abstract

The study aimed to determine if combined physiotherapy treatments offer additional benefits over exercise-only programs for shoulder pain and to identify the most effective combined treatment. A systematic review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023417709), and meta-analyses were conducted. Quality analysis was performed using the PEDro scale on randomized clinical trials published from 2018 to 2023. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly used combination was exercise plus manual therapy, without being statistically superior to exercise alone. The meta-analysis indicated that combining exercise with low-level laser therapy (mean difference of −1.06, 95% CI: −1.51 to −0.60) and high-intensity laser therapy (mean difference of −0.53, 95% CI: −1.12 to 0.06) resulted in the greatest reduction in SPADI scores. Adding manual therapy provided limited additional benefit (mean difference of −0.24, 95% CI: −0.74 to 0.27). Progressive exercise with advice or telerehabilitation yielded modest improvements. The multimodal meta-analysis for DASH scores showed significant improvement (mean difference of −1.06, 95% CI: −1.51 to −0.60). In conclusion, therapeutic exercise is the cornerstone of shoulder pain treatment, with the addition of laser therapy showing substantial benefits. Manual therapy and educational interventions offer some benefits but are not consistently superior. More rigorous studies are needed.