Physiotherapists deliver management broadly consistent with recommended practice in rotator cuff tendinopathy: An observational study

Abstract

Background: Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a common and disabling cause of shoulder pain.While conservative treatment is recommended as initial management, recent findings suggest that general practitioners and rheumatologists do not consistently align with recommended care. This study aimed to survey Australian physiotherapists to explore the extent to which recommended management is being applied. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey Results: Five hundred and two Australian physiotherapists completed the survey. Results demonstrated the majority of physiotherapists provide conservative management consistent with guideline recommendations, through delivery of exercise and education, comparable to management by physiotherapists in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. Parameters and construction of exercise treatment programs were highly variable within the cohort, qualitative analysis highlighting varied reasoning underpinning these management decisions. Conclusions: Australian physiotherapists are broadly consistent with providing recommended management, however heterogeneity exists in the methods and parameters of treatment delivery.

French physiotherapy management of rotator cuff related shoulder pain: An observational study

“…A cross-sectional survey exploring French physiotherapists' management of RCRSP was performed. The design was adapted from a similar survey used in a prior study by Smythe et al (2020). -485…”

“…The survey was originally designed by Bury & Littlewood (2018) and then adapted by Smythe et al (2020). The survey of Smythe et al (2020) was translated into French and adapted slightly to fit a French context (Appendix SA1).…”

Self-reported management among people with rotator cuff related shoulder pain: An observational study

“…This debate includes whether exercise should be painful or painfree 20 , and this was reflected in the advice about pain during exercise reported by people in our cohort. Variability in exercise approaches and ideology was also reflected in a recent survey of physiotherapist practice in Australia 10 . Clearly there is no accepted exercise approach for RCRSP and this may impact on exercise outcomes.…”

“…Recent surveys indicate that physiotherapists in Australia 10 , the United Kingdom 11 , Belgium and The Netherlands 12 deliver guideline based interventions for people with RCRSP. A recent Australia-wide survey 13 and a database study of RCRSP management 14 by general practitioners both demonstrate high rates of imaging referral prior to recommended non-invasive first-line care, and to a lesser extent injection and surgical referrals.…”

Assessing Cranial Nerves in Physical Therapy Practice: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey and Implication for Clinical Practice

“…The survey was open for one month, and the closing date was 26 April 2020. For pragmatic purposes and in line with previous internationally published surveys, we adopted this methodological approach with the aim to collect the maximum number of answers within a specific period as most responses occur early after posting [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. A priori, a sample size was calculated using the e-survey Dillman's formula [36] with a 95% confidence level and a 5% of margin of error.…”