Overview of GRADE results for group comparisons concerning intervention with physical resources
| Outcomes | Intervention×comparison intervention | Trials | Effect size for intervention group | No. of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | ||||||
| Laser×placebo laser | Abrisham et al56 Dogan et al58 Eslamian et al28 Sauders59 Vecchio et al60 Yeldan et al61 | From 1.22 to 5.63 | 301 (six studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate* due to indirectness | No additional benefit from laser therapy | |
| Laser associated with exercises×exercises | Bal et al57 Calis et al64 Otadi et al55 | From 0.93 to 0.95 | 117 (three studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No additional benefit from laser therapy | |
| Laser associated with exercises×ultrasound associated with exercises | Calis et al64 Yavuz et al62 | From 0.95 to 1.28 | 67 (two studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No additional benefit from laser or ultrasound therapy | |
| PEMF×placebo PEMF | Aktas et al65 Binder et al66 Galace de Freitas et al30 Galace de Freitas et al52 Chard et al67 | From 0.91 to 2.11 | 230 (five studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊕ high | No difference between groups | |
| Ultrasound×placebo ultrasound | Giombini et al29 Nykanen et al68 | From 0.55 to 1.12 | 95 (two studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No difference between groups | |
| Microwave diathermy×placebo diathermy | Giombini et al29 Akyol et al69 | From 3.40 to 5.52 | 65 (two studies) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low*†‡ due to inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision | No difference between groups | |
| Function | ||||||
| Laser×placebo laser | Dogan et al58 Eslamian et al28 Vecchio et al60 Yeldan et al61 | From 0.77 to 2.26 | 197 (four studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊕ high | No difference between groups | |
| Laser associated with exercises×exercises | Bal et al57 Calis et al64 Otadi et al55 | From 0.53 to 2.15 | 117 (three studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No additional benefit from laser therapy | |
| Laser associated with exercises×ultrasound associated with exercises | Calis et al64 Yavuz et al63 | From 0.53 to 1.98 | 67 (two studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No additional benefit from laser or ultrasound therapy | |
| PEMF×placebo PEMF | Aktas et al65 Galace de Freitas et al30 Galace de Freitas et al52 | From 0.81 to 1.74 | 197 (three studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No difference between groups | |
| Ultrasound×placebo ultrasound | Giombini et al29 Nykanen et al68 | From 0.36 to 0.60 | 95 (two studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate† due to imprecision | No difference between groups | |
| Microwave diathermy×placebo diathermy | Giombini et al29 Akyol et al69 | From 4.79 to 20.00 | 65 (two studies) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low*†‡ due to inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision | No difference between groups | |
| Range of motion, flexion | ||||||
| Laser×placebo laser | Abrisham et al56 Dogan et al58 Yeldan et al61 | From 0.44 to 7.00 | 192 (three studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate‡ due to inconsistency | No difference between groups | |
| Range of motion, abduction | ||||||
| Laser×placebo laser | Abrisham et al56 Dogan et al58 Eslamian et al28 Yeldan et al61 | From 0.57 to 6.11 | 242 (four studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊕ high | No difference between groups | |
| Range of motion, external rotation | ||||||
| Laser×placebo laser | Abrisham et al56 Dogan et al58 Eslamian et al28 Yeldan et al61 | From 0.09 to 4.09 | 242 (four studies) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ low‡ due to inconsistency | No difference between groups | |
*Indirectness: there was clinical heterogeneity between trials.
†Imprecision: there was sparse data with <200 participants for the comparison.
‡Inconsistency: there was statistical or effect size heterogeneity between trials.
Bold terms refer to the level of evidence according to GRADE.