OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy in individuals affected by primary or idiopathic frozen shoulder, considering only studies that employed a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out according to PRISMA guidelines. Three bibliographic databases were searched: Medline, Cochrane Library and PEDro. The minimum prerequisites for papers to be included in the systematic review were that they had to (a) employ a randomized controlled trial; (b) be published in English or Italian language. The studies were evaluated according to Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias and Jadad scale. RESULTS: Twelve studies in systematic review and nine studies in meta-analysis were included. CONCLUSIONS: Frozen shoulder is a condition whose therapeutic targets could change due to symptoms and stage. Rehabilitation program, particularly end-range mobilization techniques and therapeutic exercise are the most effective in reducing pain and increasing function in sub-acute phases.

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