The Efficacy of Manual Therapy on Musculoskeletal Pain in Menopause: A Systematic Review

Abstract

(1) Background: The aim of this review was to evaluate the effects of manual therapy for musculoskeletal pain in menopausal women. (2) Methods: A comprehensive search of manuscripts published from inception until 29 February 2024 was conducted on PubMed, EBSCO Information Services (EBSCOhost), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (Pedro), Web of Science, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials, and Scopus using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free terms. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) investigating the effects of manual therapy for musculoskeletal pain in postmenopausal women were included. Articles published in non-English or non-Portuguese languages, case reports, expert opinions, dissertations, conference papers, and gray literature were excluded. Studies were screened for population, musculoskeletal pain, intervention, and pain outcome by two independent reviewers using an ad hoc data extraction form. (3) Results: A total of 5 RCTs (4 with high risk of bias and 1 with low risk of bias) were included (total sample = 245), addressing thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis, thoracic kyphosis, chronic neck and backache, knee osteoarthritis, and sternocostal joint pain. The combined results of these studies showed improved musculoskeletal pain in menopausal women; duration of the follow-up was between 4 weeks to 6 months. Conclusions: The majority of studies included in this systematic review were effective in reducing musculoskeletal pain in menopausal women. These results come mainly from studies with a high risk of bias with small sample sizes, and the most representative follow-up period was short-term. Therefore, the results of this systematic review should be interpreted with caution.