Objectives: To estimate the effects of musculoskeletal rehabilitation interventions on movementevoked pain and to explore the assessment methods/protocols used to evaluate movement-evoked pain in adults with musculoskeletal pain.
Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis.
Literature search: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched.
Study selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials investigating musculoskeletal rehabilitation interventions for movement-evoked pain in adults with musculoskeletal pain were included.
Data synthesis: Meta-analysis was conducted for outcomes with homogeneous data from at least 2 trials. The mean change in movementevoked pain was the primary outcome measure. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework.
Results: Thirty-eight trials were included, and 60 different interventions were assessed. There was moderate-certainty evidence of a beneficial effect of exercise therapy compared to no treatment (standardized mean difference [SMD], -0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.83, -0.47; P<.001) on movement-evoked pain in adults with musculoskeletal pain. There was low-certainty evidence of a beneficial effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation compared to no treatment (SMD, -0.46; 95% CI: -0.71, -0.21; P = .0004). There was no benefit of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation when compared to sham transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (SMD, -0.28; 95% CI: -0.60, 0.05; P = .09; moderate-certainty evidence).
Conclusion: There was moderate-certainty evidence that exercise therapy is effective for reducing movement-evoked pain in patients with musculoskeletal pain compared to no treatment. Consider exercise therapy as the first-choice treatment for movement-evoked pain in clinical practice. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2022;52(6):345-374. Epub: 05 Feb 2022. doi:10.2519/jospt.2022.10527.
Keywords: clinical measurement (clinimetrics); movement-evoked pain; musculoskeletal pain; pain assessment; sensitivity to physical activity; systematic review/meta-analysis.