The effectiveness of physiotherapy-led non-surgical and perioperative interventions for glenohumeral osteoarthritis: A systematic review.
systematic_review · Level I
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42186453.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1177/17585732261450961 and PMC identifier 13198524.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Physiotherapists are commonly involved in the management of adults with glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA), to improve symptoms or restore function after surgery. This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of physiotherapist-led interventions in adults with GHOA including rotator cuff arthropathy (RCA). We conducted a comprehensive systematic review (PROSPERO Registration<b>:</b> CRD42022318534) searching PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, EMBASE and PEDro databases from inception up until June 2025. Articles were included if they were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving adults aged ≥45 years with GHOA including RCA across non-surgical and perioperative settings where interventions were led by physiotherapists and articles reported pain or functional outcomes, or adverse events. Results were narratively synthesised. Of 582 articles identified, four RCTs were eligible and included in the review. Each focussed on postoperative physiotherapist-led interventions and none were placebo-controlled. Low-certainty evidence showed no between-group differences in patient outcomes at any time point between postoperative physiotherapist-led interventions delivered early (within the first 6 weeks) versus delayed interventions delivered after 6 weeks. Evidence from the remaining findings of this review is of very low certainty. The evidence base about the effectiveness of physiotherapist-led interventions for GHOA and RCA is extremely limited and of poor quality. No published RCTs have evaluated physiotherapist-led interventions for patients with GHOA undergoing non-surgical care. High-quality, adequately powered RCTs are required to determine effectiveness of physiotherapist-led interventions for GHOA and RCA and inform evidence-based care.