The addition of cervical unilateral posterior-anterior mobilisation in the treatment of patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: A randomised clinical trial
Recently, various publications have pointed towards beneficial effects of interventions targeted at adjunctive regions in the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS), such as manipulation of the thoracic spine. Neck-only mobilisations in patients presenting with SIS and no additional cervical dysfunction have been reported to lead to immediate improvements in shoulder mobility by a single study.
The present study investigated whether treatment aimed at the shoulder and the neck (i.e. grade III postero-anterior mobilizations) has additional benefits compared to treatment of the shoulder alone, and found no benefits of adding mobilization techniques of the cervical spine.
However, the authors do acknowledge some factors that may have contributed to the ineffectiveness of the cervical mobilizations: treatment for the shoulder was pragmatic and allowed for progression in rehabilitation while the cervical mobilization routine consisted of a standardized number of sets and duration – this was perhaps not enough to have effect. > From: Cook et al., Man Ther (2013) (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Elsevier Ltd.
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