Table 2.

Evaluation of methodological quality of the reviewed studies concerning physical training according to the PEDro scale⁷⁶

References	Inclusion/exclusion criteriaa	Randomization of groupsb	Concealmentc	Similarity of baseline characteristicsd	Blinded participantse	Blinded therapistf	Blinded assessorg	Key outcomeh	Intention to treati	Between groups statisticsj	Mean/standard deviationk	Final score
Boyke et al64	Yes	No	NA	NA	No	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Cassilhas et al70	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Chapman et al60	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Colcombe et al17	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Study 2
Liu-Ambrose et al63	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	8
Liu-Ambrose et al61	Yes	Yes	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Sink et al58	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	8
Voelcker-Rehage et al68	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	NA	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Voss et al53	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Voss et al59	Yes	Yes	NA	Yes	NA	NA	NA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7

Notes:

^aEligibility criteria were specified;

^bparticipants were randomly allocated to groups;

^callocation to groups was concealed;

^dthe groups were similar at baseline regarding the most important prognostic indicators;

^eparticipants were not aware of the group in which they were allocated (blinded);

^Fstaff that administered training was not aware (blind) of the group status (intervention or control);

^gassessors measuring at least one key outcome were not aware (blind) of the group status;

^hmeasures of at least one key outcome were obtained from more than 85% of the subjects initially allocated to groups;

ⁱall 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 were analyzed by “intention to treat”;

^jthe results of between-group statistical comparisons are reported for at least one key outcome;

^kthe study provides both point measures and measures of variability for at least one key outcome. Yes = 1 point, no = 0 points.

Abbreviations: NA, not applicable; PEDro, Physiotherapy Evidence Database.