Research - Outcome Studies

Effective treatment options for musculoskeletal pain in primary care: a systematic overview of current evidence.

 

Year: 2017  Study type: Systematic review   

Babatunde O, Jordan J, Van der Windt D, Hill J, Foster N, Protheroe J. Effective treatment options for musculoskeletal pain in primary care: A systematic overview of current evidence. PLOS ONE 2017;12(6):e0178621.

Objective

To identify the current best evidence on treatment options for the five most common musculoskeletal pain presentations (back, neck, shoulder, knee, and multi-site pain) in primary care.

Methods

Systematic literature review, included studies (n=146)

Quality assessment performed using AMSTAR

Strength of evidence evaluated using a modified GRADE approach

Outcome

Best available evidence shows that patients with musculoskeletal pain problems in primary care can be managed effectively with non-pharmacological treatments such as exercise therapy, self-management advice, and psychosocial interventions. For the short-term pain relief, corticosteroid injections (for knee and shoulder pain) can be effective treatment options and may be used in addition to non-pharmacological treatments.