Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies.
| Study origin | Sample size (n) | Age, mean (SD) | Baseline pain severity, VAS | Follow-up (weeks) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayre and Tyson16 | Australia | 121 | 39.42 (9.5) | 5.45 | 0 |
| Briggs et al.17 | Australia | 117 | 39.7 (12.4) | 4.25 | 0 |
| Cougot et al.18 | France | 217 | 41.33 (9.5) | 3.99 | 104 |
| Elfving et al.19 | Sweden | 149 | 48.56 (NA) | NA | 0 |
| Ferreira and Pereira20 | Portugal | 203 | 48.75 (NA) | NA | 5 |
| Thomas et al.21 | France | 50 | 50.2 (11.4) | 4.5 | 0 |
| Woby et al.22 | UK | 83 | 41 (10) | 4 | 8 |
| Woby et al.23 | UK | 102 | 43.9 (11.7) | 4.4 | 8 |
| Woby et al.24 | UK | 166 | 44.4 (11.4) | 4 | 8 |
| Rainville et al.25 | USA | 72 | 37 (NA) | 7 | 7 |
VAS: visual analogue scale; SD: standard deviation; NA: not applicable.