Comparative effectiveness of treatment options for subacromial shoulder pain: a network meta-analysis

Purpose: Up to one in four people complain of shoulder pain at any one time with subacromial shoulder pain accounting for up to 70% of these shoulder pain presentations. The prognosis of shoulder pain is highly variable with 40-50% of patients reporting persistent pain 6-12 months after first consulting their GP, generating high costs to both healthcare and society. A range of treatment options exist but there is considerable uncertainty regarding the comparative effectiveness of these various treatments including physiotherapist-led exercise, corticosteroid injections, and surgery.