Comparison of conservative treatment with and without manual physical therapy for patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: a prospective, randomized clinical trial.

Senbursa G, Baltaci G, Atay A

The aim of this prospective, randomized clinical study was to compare the effectiveness of two physical therapy treatment approaches for impingement syndrome, either by joint and soft tissue mobilization techniques or by a self-training program. Thirty patients with the diagnosis of an outlet impingement syndrome of the shoulder were treated either by strengthening the depressors of the humeral head with a guided self-training program, or by joint and soft tissue mobilization techniques. Subjects in both groups experienced significant decreases in pain and increases in shoulder function, but there was significantly more improvement in the manual therapy group compared to the exercise group. The patients treated with manual physical therapy applied by experienced physical therapists combined with supervised exercise in a brief clinical trial showed improvement of symptoms including increasing strength, decreasing pain and improving function earlier than with exercise program.

Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology and Arthroscopy, 2007, 15(7), 915-21

Link to Abstract

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