Background Shoulder subluxation is a common post-stroke complication affecting up to 80% of the stroke subjects. The pathomechanics at the skeletal level does not provide the structural base for the neural-motor recovery. The management of subluxed shoulder has always been a challenge, complicating the motor and functional recovery. Objective To review the available studies of rehabilitation interventions for reduction of subluxed shoulder and to explore the evidence for impact of subluxation on motor recovery. Method PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, DORIS, PEDro, and OTseeker databases were searched using the keywords: Stroke and Shoulder and Subluxation. The experimental, quasi-experimental, and single group studies investigated the rehabilitation methods to reduce the subluxation were selected. A narrative synthesis of the findings from the selected studies was carried out. Result 2717 studies were identified and 22 studies (14 RCTs or controlled trials and 8 pre-post-single group studies) were finally selected for the review. The rehabilitation intervention: Functional electrical stimulation (FES)/electrical stimulation (11), orthosis/support (07), taping (02), and robotic training and other methods (02) were reviewed. FES is effective in reducing subluxation in acute stage. Shoulder support or orthosis while in situ may reduce the subluxation temporarily. X-ray was the most commonly used assessment tool for the subluxation. Implication of the rehabilitation technique on motor recovery has not been investigated. Conclusion No technique could effectively reduce the subluxation and facilitate the upper limb recovery. Further studies integrating the usual motor training and the subluxation rehabilitation are warranted. Future trials using more precise and valid tool such as ultrasonography are also needed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.