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Physiotherapy for Pain Conditions: Recent Advanced Programs and Interventions
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Physiotherapy for Pain Conditions: Recent Advanced Programs and Interventions

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Pain Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 778

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Javier Martinez-Calderon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain
2. CTS 1110: Understanding Movement and Self in Health from Science (UMSS) Research Group, 41009 Andalusia, Spain
Interests: overview of reviews; systematic reviews; pain; musculoskeletal rehabilitation; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina García-Muñoz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Departamento de Salud, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Seville, Spain
2. CTS 1110: Understanding Movement and Self in Health from Science (UMSS) Research Group, 41009 Andalusia, Spain
Interests: physical health; mental health; chronic conditions; exercise
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past 20 years, the number of publications on the effectiveness of physiotherapy in improving pain conditions has grown considerably. Today, we have a huge amount of information on the effectiveness of physiotherapy modalities such as exercise therapy, manual therapy, and digital health applied to physiotherapy in improving different outcomes in people with pain, such as pain intensity, disability, quality of life, and anxiety/depression symptoms, among others. However, our efforts as researchers must continue, and many gaps still exist in the field of physiotherapy and pain. Therefore, new studies are needed on this topic to strengthen the existing body of knowledge.

We are pleased to invite you to provide high-quality evidence-based studies that improve the methodological and clinical quality of research on the effects of physiotherapy on pain conditions.

In this Special Issue, all types of research designs will be welcome if they focus on physiotherapy modalities and pain conditions without restrictions in the type of pain. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Acute, subacute, and chronic pain.
  • Health conditions closely related to pain (e.g., cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, or stroke).
  • Methodological issues related to physiotherapy and pain.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Javier Martinez-Calderon
Dr. Cristina García-Muñoz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • intervention
  • pain
  • physiotherapy
  • review
  • meta-analysis
  • overview
  • clinical trial

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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18 pages, 950 KiB  
Systematic Review
Effects of Global Postural Re-Education on Pain, Functionality, and Range of Motion in Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
by Philippine Picher, Adérito Seixas, Isabel Moreira-Silva, Joana Azevedo and Ricardo Cardoso
Healthcare 2025, 13(14), 1689; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13141689 - 14 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Objective: Although Global Postural Re-education (GPR) is widely used for musculoskeletal conditions, its specific benefits for this population remain unclear due to inconsistent findings across studies. This systematic review aims to analyze the effects of GPR on pain intensity, functionality, and range of [...] Read more.
Objective: Although Global Postural Re-education (GPR) is widely used for musculoskeletal conditions, its specific benefits for this population remain unclear due to inconsistent findings across studies. This systematic review aims to analyze the effects of GPR on pain intensity, functionality, and range of motion (ROM) in individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain. Methods: Computerized search was performed in the Cochrane CENTRAL, Lilacs, EBSCO, PEDro, Pubmed, RCAAP and Scielo databases using the keyword combination (“Global Postural Rehabilitation” OR “Global Postural Reeducation” OR “Global Posture Reeducation” OR “Global Postural Re-education” OR “GPR”) AND (“Neck Pain” OR “Cervicalgia”). Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale. Results: Six studies with a total of 393 participants (322 women, aged 18–80) were included. The methodological quality was moderate (average PEDro score: 6.7/10), with frequent limitations related to lack of blinding and allocation concealment. Risk of bias was rated as “some concerns” in four studies and “high” in two. GPR was associated with improvements in pain intensity, functionality, and cervical ROM (flexion/extension). While three studies found no significant differences between GPR and static stretching or specific cervical exercises, the remaining three studies reported greater improvements with GPR compared to manual therapy or traditional neck education and exercise therapy. No adverse effects were reported in any of the included trials. Conclusions: GPR appears to be a safe and potentially effective intervention for individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain, particularly in improving pain, function, and cervical ROM. Nonetheless, further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm its superiority over other physiotherapeutic interventions and to determine the optimal treatment parameters. PROSPERO registration: CRD420251068974. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiotherapy for Pain Conditions: Recent Advanced Programs and Interventions)
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14 pages, 658 KiB  
Systematic Review
What Interventions Focused on Physical Activity Could Improve Postpartum Depression Symptoms? An Overview of Systematic Reviews with Meta-Analysis
by Álvaro Campos-Marin, Cristina García-Muñoz, Javier Matias-Soto and Javier Martinez-Calderon
Healthcare 2025, 13(12), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13121419 - 13 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis was to summarize the evidence on the possible effectiveness of interventions focused on physical activity in improving and preventing postpartum depression symptoms. Methods: CINAHL (via EBSCOhost), Embase, Epistemonikos, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus [...] Read more.
Objectives: The objective of this overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis was to summarize the evidence on the possible effectiveness of interventions focused on physical activity in improving and preventing postpartum depression symptoms. Methods: CINAHL (via EBSCOhost), Embase, Epistemonikos, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus (via EBSCOhost), and the Cochrane library were searched from inception to 19 February 2025. The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed with AMSTAR 2. The degree of overlap between meta-analyses was calculated. Results: A total of eight systematic reviews were included. Overall, the included meta-analyses showed favorable results regarding the effects of physical activity on postpartum depression symptoms. Considering specific physical activity modalities, the largest number of meta-analyses focused on aerobic exercise, yoga, or multimodal exercise. In all three cases, most meta-analyses found that aerobic exercise, yoga, and multimodal exercise could be beneficial in reducing postpartum depression symptoms. Furthermore, several meta-analyses explored the effectiveness of walking, finding positive results in favor of this intervention in reducing postpartum depression symptoms. Finally, movement in water was only explored in one meta-analysis, and no differences were found between these interventions and control groups. Conclusions: Aerobic exercise, walking, yoga, and multimodal exercise programs may improve postpartum depression symptoms. Movement in water was not more effective than control groups for reducing this outcome. However, the results of our overview should be considered with caution, since important methodological and clinical implications have been discussed (e.g., lack of subgroups by prevention and treatment) and should guide the development of future systematic reviews on this topic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiotherapy for Pain Conditions: Recent Advanced Programs and Interventions)
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