SynthesisThe Journal of manual & manipulative therapy2022
Effectiveness of cervicothoracic and thoracic manual physical therapy in managing upper quarter disorders - a systematic review.
Synthesis in The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- When all else fails: a narrative review of surgical options for intercostal neuralgia from a plastic surgery perspective.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Review
- Thoracic Manual Therapy With or Without Exercise Improves Pain and Disability in Subacromial Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Pain and Disability Reduction Following Rib Manipulation in a Patient Recovering from Osteomyelitis of the Thoracic Spine.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT IN SURFERS: GUIDELINES FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS - PART 1 UPPER QUARTER.Acta ortopedica brasileira · 2025Article
- A modern way to teach and practice manual therapy.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2024Review
- Combined Effects of Glenohumeral Mobilization, Stretching, and Thoracic Manipulation on Shoulder Internal Rotation Range of Motion.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2024Article
- Assessment of Long-term Effects of Adding Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment to Neck Exercises for Individuals With Non-specific Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Trial.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2023Article
- Upper extremity special issue.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2022Article
- 'Next steps' for researching orthopedic manual therapy.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designSystematic review.
backgroundPhysical therapists often use cervicothoracic and thoracic manual techniques to treat musculoskeletal disorders of the upper quarter ,however, the overall effectiveness of this approach remains to be elucidated.
objectiveThis systematic review explored studies that examined the short- and long-term effectiveness of manual physical therapy directed at the cervicothoracic and thoracic region in the management of upper quarter musculoskeletal conditions.
methodsThe electronic databases MEDLINE, AMED, CINAHL, and Embase were searched from their inception through 30 October 2020. Eligible clinical trials included those where human subjects treated with cervicothoracic and/or thoracic manual procedures were compared with a control group or other interventions. The methodological quality of individual studies was assessed using the PEDro scale.
resultsThe initial search returned 950 individual articles. After the screening of titles and abstracts, full texts were reviewed by two authors, with 14 articles determined to be eligible for inclusion. PEDro scores ranged from 66 to 10 (out of a maximum score of 10). In the immediate to 52-week follow-up period, studies provided limited evidence that cervicothoracic and thoracic manual physical therapy may reduce pain and improve function when compared to control/sham or other treatments.
conclusionsEvidence provides some support for the short-termeffectiveness of cervicothoracic and thoracic manual physical therapy in reducing pain and improving function in people experiencing upper quarter musculoskeletal disorders. Evidence is lacking for long-term effectiveness as only two studies explored outcomes beyond 26 weeks and this was for patient-perceived improvement. PROSPERO ID: CRD42020219456.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.