Systematic review and best-evidence synthesis.
METHODS: Eligible studies (from January 2013 to June 2020) were critically appraised using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and Risk of Bias 2.0 criteria. The certainty of the evidence was assessed according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.
RESULTS: Four RCTs were deemed acceptable and 1 RCT was considered low quality. In adults with recent-onset
cervical radiculopathy, multimodal rehabilitation was associated with a trivial and nonclinically important reduction in
neck pain compared with mechanical cervical
traction; no differences in disability were reported (1 study, 360 participants, low certainty of the evidence). In adults with
cervical radiculopathy of any duration, (i) multimodal rehabilitation may be more effective than prescribed physical activity and brief cognitive-behavioural approach; specifically, a small reduction in arm
pain and in function was found (1 study, 144 participants, low certainty of the evidence); (ii) no difference in
pain reduction was found between multimodal rehabilitation interventions compared with an epidural
steroid injection (1 study, 169 participants, low certainty of the evidence); and (iii) compared with surgery combined with neck exercises, multimodal rehabilitation interventions lead to similar arm
pain reduction and improvement in function (1 study, 68 participants, low certainty of the evidence).
CONCLUSION: