Rotator cuff tendinopathy is among the main causes of shoulder pain. It is
characterized by lesions without rupture caused by overload, work-related
repetitive strain injury, or metabolic changes such as diabetes affecting one or
more tendons, which cause pain, morphological alterations, and disability. This
study aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise-based therapy on shoulder pain
reduction and functioning improvement in patients with rotator cuff
tendinopathy. This was a systematic review. Data were collected from randomized
controlled trials retrieved from PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde,
PEDro, Web of Science, Scopus, and CENTRAL metasearch engines. The PEDro scale
was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the selected studies.
Eccentric exercise, conventional exercise, scapular and rotator cuff muscle
strengthening, rotator cuff strengthening plus pectoralis major strengthening,
high-load training, and low-load training were effective for the outcomes
investigated in this study. Furthermore, goniometry, visual analogue scales, the
Constant Murley score, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand
questionnaire, and the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index were constantly used
to measure pain and functioning. Therapeutic exercises should be performed in
this population, and new randomized controlled trials should be conducted with
the goal of achieving the same outcome. The International Classification of
Functioning, Disability and Health should be increasingly used in studies
addressing patient functioning.