Exercise in the physiotherapy management of subacromial impingement syndrome

Abstract

Physiotherapy management of subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) inevitablyinvolves exercise, yet little is known about its effectiveness and which exercises should be prescribed. A meta-review of existing literature reviews concluded that it was unclear whether exercise was an effective treatment strategy for SAIS. This identified the need for an up-to-date, systematic literature review that specifically focused on the effectiveness of exercise and not physiotherapy treatment as a whole.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was subsequently conducted which, for the first time, attempted to quantify the magnitude of the treatment effect of exercise across outcomes such as pain, patient reported function (PRF), strength and quality of life (QoL). Although it was evident that physiotherapy exercises are effective in the management of SAIS, heterogeneity of the exercise interventions alongside poor reporting of exercise protocols, prevented conclusions about which specific components of the exercise protocols were associated with best outcomes. Further exploration regarding specifics of exercise prescription was required.

Focus group studies were conducted with the intention of providing more information regarding parameters of an exercise protocol and to explore the perceptions of the therapists regarding the effectiveness of exercise. The focus groups demonstrated that exercise was a fundamental treatment for SAIS, however gaining early buy-in to an active exercise approach was essential. The therapists used patient education regarding SAIS aetiology to foster buy-in and “sell” self-management via exercise. There was also an emphasis on the need for individually tailored exercises, though common combinations of exercises were mentioned that reinforced findings from the systematic review.

Date of Award	Nov 2013
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department for Employment and Learning (DEL)
Supervisor	Joseph Mc Veigh (Supervisor), Daniel Kerr (Supervisor) & Iseult Wilson (Supervisor)