Effectiveness of bee venom acupuncture in alleviating post-stroke shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the long-term efficacy of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) on reducing lower limb post-stroke spasticity in adults. A systematic electronic search of PubMed/ MEDLINE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE(R), and search engine of Google Scholar was performed. Publications that ranged from January 2010 to August 2020, published in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian language and available as full texts were eligible for inclusion and they were searched without any restrictions of country. The study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and followed the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Two authors screened the references, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcome was spasticity grade mainly assessed by the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Secondary outcomes were passive range of motion (PROM), pain intensity, electrophysiological parameters, gait assessment, and adverse events. A total of seven recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, and a beneficial effect on spasticity was found. The high level of evidence presented in this paper showed that ESWT ameliorates spasticity considering the parameters: MAS: standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.53; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): (0.07–0.99); Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS): SMD = 0.56; 95% CI: (0.01–1.12); Visual Analogue Scale (VAS): SMD = 0.35; 95% CI: (−0.21–0.91); PROM: SMD = 0.69; 95% CI: (0.20–1.19). ESWT presented long-term efficacy on lower limb post-stroke spasticity, reduced pain intensity, and increased range of motion. The effect of this novel and non-invasive therapy was significant and the intervention did not present adverse events, proving a satisfactory safety profile.

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Aquatic Therapy for improving Lower Limbs Function in Post-stroke Survivors: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation ◽

10.1080/10749357.2021.1929011 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Mahboubeh Ghayour Najafabadi ◽

Ardalan Shariat ◽

Jan Dommerholt ◽

Azadeh Hakakzadeh ◽

Amin Nakhostin-Ansari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

Stroke Survivors ◽

Aquatic Therapy ◽

Post Stroke

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Effects of electromyographic biofeedback interventions for shoulder pain and function: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Clinical Rehabilitation ◽

10.1177/0269215521990950 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026921552199095

Author(s):

Danilo Harudy Kamonseki ◽

Letícia Bojikian Calixtre ◽

Rodrigo Py Gonçalves Barreto ◽

Paula Rezende Camargo

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Shoulder Pain ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Electromyographic Biofeedback ◽

Mean Differences ◽

And Function

Objective: To systematically review the effectiveness of electromyographic biofeedback interventions to improve pain and function of patients with shoulder pain. Design: Systematic review of controlled clinical trials. Literature search: Databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and SCOPUS) were searched in December 2020. Study selection criteria: Randomized clinical trials that investigated the effects of electromyographic biofeedback for individuals with shoulder pain. Patient-reported pain and functional outcomes were collected and synthesized. Data synthesis: The level of evidence was synthesized using GRADE and Standardized Mean Differences and 95% confidence interval were calculated using a random-effects inverse variance model for meta-analysis. Results: Five studies were included with a total sample of 272 individuals with shoulder pain. Very-low quality of evidence indicated that electromyographic biofeedback was not superior to control for reducing shoulder pain (standardized mean differences = −0.21, 95% confidence interval: −0.67 to 0.24, P = 0.36). Very-low quality of evidence indicated that electromyographic biofeedback interventions were not superior to control for improving shoulder function (standardized mean differences = −0.11, 95% confidence interval: −0.41 to 0.19, P = 0.48). Conclusion: Electromyographic biofeedback may be not effective for improving shoulder pain and function. However, the limited number of included studies and very low quality of evidence does not support a definitive recommendation about the effectiveness of electromyographic biofeedback to treat individuals with shoulder pain.

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