Physical therapy for the treatment of frozen shoulder: A protocol for systematic review of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Previous clinical trials have reported that physical therapy (PT) can be used for the treatment of frozen shoulder (FS). However, its effectiveness is still inconclusive. In this systematic review study, we will aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of PT alone for the treatment of FS. METHODS: The following electronic databases will be searched from the inception to the present to identify any eligible studies focusing on PT for the treatment of FS. These databases comprise of Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and 4 Chinese databases of Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (which includes the database China Academic Journals), VIP Information, and Wanfang Data. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PT for FS will be considered for inclusion without language restrictions. Cochrane risk of bias tool will be used to assess the methodological quality for all included RCTs. RESULTS: The effectiveness and safety of this study will be assessed by shoulder pain intensity, shoulder function, quality of life, and any adverse events. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may provide most recent evidence on the effectiveness and safety of PT for patients with FS.