Effectiveness of exercise therapy versus passive conservative treatments for rotator cuff-related shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Study Summary

23 randomized controlled trials including 1643 patients with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain were included in this systematic review, with 19 studies (1349 patients) contributing to the meta-analysis comparing exercise therapy versus passive conservative treatments. Pooled outcomes of interest included pain intensity and, disability. Exercise therapy, whether delivered alone or in combination with passive physical therapy or education, did not demonstrate superior improvements in pain or disability compared with passive conservative treatments at short-term follow-up. The certainty of evidence ranged from very low to low. These findings suggest that exercise therapy provides outcomes comparable to passive conservative treatments but cannot currently be considered superior based on the available evidence.