Effectiveness of passive mobilization in the treatment of shoulder pathologies

Abstract

Introduction: Pain in the shoulder is very common and the preferential treatment is the physiotherapy. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of passive mobilization on pain, strength, range of motion and/or function for patients with rotator cuff tendinopathies or impingement syndrome. Methods: Studies were sought from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scielo, PEDro and Web of Science. Two investigators screened all studies for inclusion. Methods: Quality was assessed using PEDro scale and a detailed characterization of each study was made. Results: All studies show that the group that received the treatment package including passive mobilization showed statistically significant decrease of pain and improvements for function and strength when compared to the control group. Conclusion: A trend was found favoring the addition of passive mobilization to a treatment package of physiotherapy for decreasing pain and increasing strength and function, but a firm conclusion cannot be made.