How effective are scapular-focused interventions at relieving pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome patients? A Literature Review

Item

Title
How effective are scapular-focused interventions at relieving pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome patients? A Literature Review
Author(s)
Skinner, A
Abstract
Background Shoulder pain is one of the most common orthopedic presentations in a clinical setting. Subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) is a common aetiology. Conservative interventions for relieving SIS symptoms have often involved scapular-focused treatment or exercises. There has, however, not been a review of the most current studies into how effective scapula-thoracic interventions have been at reducing pain in patients with SIS. Objective The objective of this review was to answer the research question: ‘How effective are scapular-focused interventions at relieving pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome patients? ‘. Design A structured literature review design. Methods The reviewer used 7 databases along with a collection of relevant key words, utilising Boolean Logic to perform a more synthesised search of the literature. Inclusion and Exclusion criteria were then applied to the search results to refine the search to relevant studies to use within the Dissertation. Once relevant studies were obtained, they were assessed for their quality of evidence using a modified version of the JADAD scale, as well as the PEDro scale. From the raw data, the percentage improvement and effect size of pain, between pre and post-interventions were calculated. Results Six eligible studies were obtained at the end of the search strategy, all of which had equally weighted participants (two studies had two more participants in one group over the other) in the intervention and control groups. Generally, there were between 50-80% female participants and the ages of the participants varied from around 30 to 60 years old, with each study including participants of similar age groups. Four out of the six studies had an overall quality of assessment score of 75% or above. The calculated effect sizes of pain outcomes post-interventions showed variability. A majority of the studies (three out of six) demonstrated an overall improvement in pain for both effect size and percentage improvements for interventions. One study reported percentage improvements in the control group over the intervention group by around 5%, with an equally greater effect size score. Two studies reported no significant difference of effect size or percentage improvements in pain for intervention groups over control groups. Discussion Half of the included studies demonstrated greater effectiveness of scapular-focused interventions over such controls as exercise in isolation or physical therapy, such as ultrasound or friction therapy. The wider literature reports similar findings, with a general consensus that when combined with exercise, scapular-focused interventions are most effective. Conclusion Scapular-focused interventions have been found to be marginally more effective than physical therapy interventions and exercise in isolation; however, further studies are needed to substantiate a reliable, statistically significant difference.
presented at
European School of Osteopathy
Date Accepted
2019
Date Submitted
19.11.2019 18:31:09
Type
osteo_thesis
Language
English
Submitted by:
62
Pub-Identifier
16512
Inst-Identifier
1229
Keywords
Effectiveness, Intervention, Pain, Shoulder
Recommended
0
Item sets
Thesis

Skinner, A, “How effective are scapular-focused interventions at relieving pain in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome patients? A Literature Review”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 2, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/317