Therapeutic effects of mobilization in alleviating pain and improving shoulder mobility in adhesive capsulitis – A systematic review

Abstract

Frozen shoulder (FS) is a painful clinical disease that lasts over three months and affects 3–5% of the general population. The main goal of this review was to show how mobilization techniques can affect FS treatment compared to other physiotherapy options. A systematic review of randomized controlled studies from CINAHL, MEDLINE, AMED, and PubMed published after 2010. Studies that included patients 18 or older with FS, but no other underlying systemic disorders were eligible. The review focused on two primary outcomes: Pain levels and how effectively patients could move their shoulders. The quality of the studies was assessed using the physiotherapy evidence database (PEDro) technique. Six randomized controlled studies with a PEDro score of 5/10 that met the study requirements were included. The pain was reduced in three of the five investigations with P < 0.05, whereas the remaining studies yielded neutral findings in lowering pain in patients with FS. All of the individuals’ range of motion (ROM) was evaluated. With P < 0.05, four of the six trials showed an improvement in shoulder ROM. Bending, straightening, moving arms away from the body, bringing them back in, internal rotation, and external rotation were all assessed and shown to be significant with P ≤ 0.05. Most studies suggested that patients, who have received mobilization treatment, experienced positive improvements. Techniques such as Mulligan mobilization, scapular mobilization, passive mobilization, and angular joint mobilization have proven effective in addressing pain and improving the ROM in individuals with FSs.