Table 10: Quality of the Studies Included in the Review According to PEDro Scale.
| Blume et al. 2008 (4) | Armstrong et al. 2005 (6) | Vuerstaek 2006 (7) | Llanos et al. 2006 (5) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eligibility criteria were specified* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subjects were randomly allocated to interventions (in a crossover study, subjects were randomly allocated an order in which treatments were received) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Allocations were concealed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The intervention groups were similar at baseline regarding the most important prognostic indicators | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| There was blinding of all subjects | No | No | No | No |
| There was blinding of all therapists who administered therapy | No | No | No | Yes |
| There was blinding of all assessors who measured at least one key outcome | No | No | No | Yes |
| Measures of at least one key outcome were obtained from more than 85% of the subjects initially allocated to groups | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| All subjects for whom outcome measures were available received the treatment or control condition as allocated or, where this was not the case, data for at least one key outcome was analyzed by “intention to treat” | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The results of between-intervention group statistical comparisons are reported for at least one key outcome | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The study provides both point measures and measures of variability for at least one key outcome | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Total sores | 7/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 |
*
This criterion has been included in the PEDro scale so that all items of the Delphi scale are represented. This item is not used to calculate the internal validity of the study; rather, it calculates the external validity (Generalizability) of the studies