Effects of shockwave therapy on pain and disability in individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy: a systematic review protocol.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to systematically review randomized controlled trials comparing the effect of shockwave therapy with other forms of interventions on pain and disability in individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy. Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint in which rotator cuff tendons are usually affected. Shockwave therapy is a novel conservative treatment option for rotator cuff-related shoulder pain. A systematic review in 2004 reported conflicting results on the effectiveness of shockwave therapy in treating chronic rotator cuff tendonitis, whereby it is effective for calcific rotator cuff tendonitis but not for non-calcific ones. Hence, it is timely to review this topic with the addition of results from studies published since 2004. This review will consider randomized controlled trials that have evaluated shockwave therapy delivered via radial or focused extracorporeal means in individuals with rotator cuff tendinopathy without restrictions of race, gender, and age. Studies comparing individuals receiving shockwave therapy of varying dosages will be excluded in this review. A three-step search strategy will be used to locate studies published in English from databases. No search restrictions will be applied regarding the year of publication. Study selection, assessment of methodological quality, and data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Data will be pooled in a statistical meta-analysis, where possible. A funnel plot will be generated to detect any potential publication bias. The quality of the evidence will be analyzed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. PROSPERO CRD42020160166.