Table 2

Methodological quality scores of the included studies

Adequate randomisation?Allocation concealment?Blinding? Patients?Blinding? Caregiver?Blinding? Outcome assessors?Incomplete outcome data addressed? Drop-outs?Incomplete outcome data? ITT analysis?Free of Suggestions of selective outcome reporting?Similarity of baseline characteristics?Co-interventions avoided or similar?Compliance acceptable in all groups?Timing of the outcome assessment similar?Score maximumScore studyPer cent
Ultrasound
 Haker and Lundeberg18*−+++++−+++++121083
 Lundeberg et al19*−++++++−−+++12975
 D'Vaz et al20+++−++−+?+++12975
 Oken et al11+?−−+++++??+12758
 Binder et al21*−+++−+−−−−++12758
 Stratford et al22*++−−+++−−−++12758
 Davidson et al23+?−−++−+?++−12650
 Langen-Pieters and Brantingham24+?−−−+++−?+−12542
 Pienimaki et al25??−−?+?++??−12325
Laser
 Vasseljen et al26*++++++−+++++121192
 Stergioulas27+++−++++++++121192
 Haker and Lundeberg28*−+++++++−+++121083
 Haker and Lundeberg18*−+++++−+++++121083
 Vasseljen et al26*++−−−+−+++++12867
 Krasheninnikoff et al29*−++++−−−+−++12758
 Lam and Cheing30+?+−?++++??+12758
 Basford et al31+?+−++−++−+−12758
 Lundeberg et al32*−++++−−−−−−+12542
 Gudmundsen33*−−−−+−−−−−−−1218
Electrotherapy
 Coff and Caragianis34?−−−?++++?++12650
 NourbakhshReza35?−+−+??+???+12433
Pulsed electromagnetic field
 Uzunca et al36−+−−+++++??+12758
 Devereaux et al37??+−+++?+??+12650
 Chard and Hazleman38*−−+++−−−−−−+12433
TENS
 Weng et al39???????+????1218
ESWT
 Rompe et al40†+++n.a.+++n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.66100
 Gunduzet al41+++?++++++++1111100
 Chung and Wiley42†+++n.a.+−+n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6583
 Haake et al43†−++n.a.+++n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6583
 Pettrone and McCall44†?++n.a.+++n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6583
 Mehra et al45†+−+n.a.−++n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6467
 Speed et al46†??+n.a.+++n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6467
 Staples et al47+?+−++−+++?+12867
 Spacca et al48+?+−?++++?++12867
 Collins and Jafarnia49?−+−+++−+−++11764
 Pettrone and McCall44+++−+−−++??+12758
 Melikyan et al50†??+n.a.++−n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6350
 Rompe et al40†??+n.a.++−n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6350
 Levitt51†??+n.a.++−n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6350
 Radwan et al9+?−−−+−++?n.a.+11545
 Chung et al52??+−?+−+??+−12433
 Crowther et al53+?−n.a.?−+n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.6233
 Total positive scores per item191929112832172517111826

  • *Articles included in the review of Smidt et al16 in which the Amsterdam-Maastricht consensus list was used to score the methodological quality.

  • †Articles included in the review of Buchbinder et al17 in which six specific criteria were used to score the methodological quality.

  • +, yes; −, no; ?, unclear/unsure; n.a. not applicable because these items were not used as quality criteria.