Table 1.

Search strategy.

Database	Search Strategy
MEDLINE (Pubmed)	Diathermy [Mesh] OR radiowaves [Mesh] OR hyperthermia [Mesh] “Tecar”[Title/Abstract] OR “radiofrequency treatment”[Title/Abstract] OR “capacitive resistive”[Title/Abstract] OR “capacitive and resistive”[Title/Abstract] OR “electric transfer”[Title/Abstract] OR “deep heating”[Title/Abstract] OR “CRET” [Title/Abstract] OR “SWD”[Title/Abstract] OR “shortwave diathermy”[Title/Abstract] OR “short-wave diathermy”[Title/Abstract] OR “MWD”[Title/Abstract] OR “microwave diathermy”[Title/Abstract] OR “micro-wave diathermy”[Title/Abstract] #1 OR #2 Randomized controlled trial”[pt] OR “controlled clinical trial”[pt] OR “randomized”[tiab] OR “placebo”[tiab] OR “clinical trials as topic”[mesh:noexp] OR “randomly”[tiab] OR “trial”[ti] Animals [mh] NOT humans [mh] #4 NOT #5 #3 AND #6
PEDro	Tecar, method: clinical trial Radiofrequency, method: clinical trial Capacitive AND resistive, method: clinical trial Electric AND transfer, method: clinical trial Deep AND heating, method: clinical trial Diathermy, method: clinical trial Radiowaves, method: clinical trial Hyperthermia, method: clinical trial
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials	MeSH descriptor: [diathermy] explode all trees MeSH descriptor: [radio waves] explode all trees MeSH descriptor: [hyperthermia] explode all trees (“Tecar” OR “radiofrequency treatment” OR “(capacitive NEAR/6 resistive)” OR “electric transfer” OR “deep heating” OR “diathermy” OR “radiowaves” OR “hyperthermia”):ti,ab,kw
EMBASE	Tecar:ti,ab,kw OR (‘radiofrequency treatment’/exp NOT ‘radiofrequency ablation’/exp) OR ((radiofrequency NEAR/3 (treatment* OR therap*)):ti,ab,kw) OR ((capacitive NEAR/3 resistive):ti,ab,kw) OR ‘electric transfer’:ti,ab,kw OR ‘deep heating’:ti,ab,kw OR ‘diathermy’/exp OR ‘diathermy’:ti,ab,kw OR ‘radiowaves’:ti,ab,kw OR ‘thermotherapy’/exp OR ‘thermotherapy’:ti,ab,kw (‘Randomized controlled trial’/de OR ‘controlled clinical trial’/de OR random*:ti,ab OR ‘randomization’/de OR ‘intermethod comparison’/de OR placebo:ti,ab OR compare:ti OR compared:ti OR comparison:ti OR ((evaluated:ab OR evaluate:ab OR evaluating:ab OR assessed:ab OR assess:ab) AND (compare:ab OR compared:ab OR comparing:ab OR comparison:ab)) OR ((open NEXT/1 label):ti,ab) OR (((double OR single OR doubly OR singly) NEXT/1 (blind OR blinded OR blindly)):ti,ab) OR ‘double blind procedure’/de OR ((parallel NEXT/1 group*):ti,ab) OR crossover:ti,ab OR ‘cross over’:ti,ab OR (((assign* OR match OR matched OR allocation) NEAR/6 (alternate OR group OR groups OR intervention OR interventions OR patient OR patients OR subject OR subjects OR participant OR participants)):ti,ab) OR assigned:ti,ab OR allocated:ti,ab OR ((controlled NEAR/8 (study OR design OR trial)):ti,ab) OR volunteer:ti,ab OR volunteers:ti,ab OR ‘human experiment’/de OR trial:ti) NOT (((random* NEXT/1 sampl* NEAR/8 (‘cross section*’ OR questionnaire* OR survey OR surveys OR database OR databases)):ti,ab) NOT (‘comparative study’/de OR ‘controlled study’/de OR ‘randomised controlled’:ti,ab OR ‘randomized controlled’:ti,ab OR ‘randomly assigned’:ti,ab) OR (‘cross-sectional study’ NOT (‘randomized controlled trial’/de OR ‘controlled clinical study’/de OR ‘controlled study’/de OR ‘randomised controlled’:ti,ab OR ‘randomized controlled’:ti,ab OR ‘control group’:ti,ab OR ‘control groups’:ti,ab)) OR (‘case control*’:ti,ab AND random*:ti,ab NOT (‘randomised controlled’:ti,ab OR ‘randomized controlled’:ti,ab)) OR (‘systematic review’:ti NOT (trial:ti OR study:ti)) OR (nonrandom*:ti,ab NOT random*:ti,ab) OR ‘random field*’:ti,ab OR ((‘random cluster’ NEAR/4 sampl*):ti,ab) OR (review:ab AND review:it NOT trial:ti) OR (‘we searched’:ab AND (review:ti OR review:it)) OR ‘update review’:ab OR ((databases NEAR/5 searched):ab) OR ((rat:ti OR rats:ti OR mouse:ti OR mice:ti OR swine:ti OR porcine:ti OR murine:ti OR sheep:ti OR lambs:ti OR pigs:ti OR piglets:ti OR rabbit:ti OR rabbits:ti OR cat:ti OR cats:ti OR dog:ti OR dogs:ti OR cattle:ti OR bovine:ti OR monkey:ti OR monkeys:ti OR trout:ti OR marmoset*:ti) AND ‘animal experiment’/de) OR (‘animal experiment’/de NOT (‘human experiment’/de OR ‘human’/de))) #1 AND #2
CINAHL	(MH “Diathermy+”) OR (MM “radio waves”) OR (MH “hyperthermia, induced+”) OR TI (“tecar” OR “radiofrequency treatment” OR “capacitive resistive” OR “capacitive and resistive” OR “electric transfer” OR “deep heating” OR “diathermy” OR “radiowaves” OR “hyperthermia”) OR AB(“Tecar” OR “radiofrequency treatment” OR “(capacitive N6 resistive)” OR “electric transfer” OR “deep heating” OR “diathermy” OR “radiowaves” OR “hyperthermia”) OR SU(“Tecar” OR “radiofrequency treatment” OR “(capacitive N6 resistive)” OR “electric transfer” OR “deep heating” OR “diathermy” OR “radiowaves” OR “hyperthermia”) AND ((MH “randomized controlled trials”) OR (MH “double-blind studies”) OR (MH “single-blind studies”) OR (MH “random assignment”) OR (MH “pretest-posttest design”) OR (MH “cluster sample”) OR TI(randomised OR randomized) OR AB(random*) OR TI(trial) OR ((MH “sample size”) AND AB(assigned OR allocated OR control)) OR (MH “placebos”) OR PT(“randomized controlled trial”) OR AB(control W5 group) OR (MH “crossover design”) OR (MH “comparative studies”) OR AB(cluster W3 RCT)) NOT (((MH “animals+”) OR (MH “animal studies”) OR TI(animal model*)) NOT (MH “human”))