posted on 2020-08-14, 14:50authored byBarry Mason, Martin Warner, Simon Briley, Victoria Goosey-Tolfrey, Riemer Vegter
Supplementary information files for Managing shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users: a scoping review of conservative treatment interventions Objective: To review the literature that has explored conservative treatments for the management of
shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users.
Methods: Five databases were systematically searched in february 2020 for terms related to shoulder
pain and manual wheelchair use. Articles were screened and included if they investigated the conservative
treatment of shoulder pain in wheelchair users. Participants’ physical characteristics, experimental design
and primary and secondary outcome measures were extracted from studies. Studies were grouped
according to treatment type to identify gaps in the literature and guide future research.
Results: The initial search identified 407 articles, of which 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. Exercisebased treatment interventions were most prevalent (n=12). A variety of exercise modalities were
employed such as strengthening and stretching (n=7), ergometer training (n=3), Pilates classes (n=1)
and functional electrical stimulation (n=1). Only three studies supplemented exercise with an additional
treatment type. The Wheelchair Users Shoulder Pain Index was used by 18 studies as the primary measure
of shoulder pain. Only seven of these included an objective measure of shoulder function. Participant
characteristics varied among studies, and physical activity levels were frequently not reported.
Conclusions: Despite the high prevalence of shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users, the number
of studies to have explored conservative treatment types is low. Exercise is the most commonly used
treatment, which is encouraging as physical inactivity can exacerbate other health conditions. Few studies
have adopted interdisciplinary treatment strategies or included objective secondary measures to better
understand the mechanisms of pain.