INTRODUCTION: In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of motor imagery in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain conditions. Across the literature, most reviews have yet to consider Laterality Judgement Task training as a form of motor imagery method. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness when using MI as an adjunct to standard rehabilitation on the improvement of pain and range of motion parameters when managing patients with musculoskeletal pain conditions. METHODS: Searches of eight major electronic databases were conducted. Data for pain and range of motion were extracted. Meta-analyses (where possible) with either a fixed- or random- effect(s) model, standardized mean differences (SMDs), and tests of heterogeneity were performed. RESULTS: Eight clinical controlled trials were identified and included in the meta-analyses. When compared to standard rehabilitation alone, the adjunctive role of motor imagery provided superior pain relief (pooled SMD -2.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) -4.11 to -0.4, p = 0.02), and greater improvement in range of motion (pooled SMD 3.04, 95% CI 0.66 to 5.43, p = 0.01) in chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. DISCUSSION: These suggest that motor imagery may be effective for pain relief and improvement in range of motion amongst chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions, although this conclusion is based on limited certainty of evidence.

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