Table 1.
Papers on therapeutic strategies for non-inflammatory complaints, including effect sizes
| Type of intervention | Outcome | Benefit of intervention compared with control* in n of n selected papers (if applicable: of which n of n SLRs) |
Effect size for papers with benefit of intervention† (if available) |
RoB (n) | ||
| L | M | H | ||||
| Exercise129 136 137 140 147 153 154 157–159 165 166 171 | Function | 7/8(4/4) | 0.39; 0.46; 0.73; 0.88 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Pain | 4/10(2/7) | 0.99‡; 1.02 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| QoL | 2/3(0/1) | 0.90 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Fatigue | 2/4(1/2) | 0.37 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Other: | ||||||
| - Aerobic capacity and muscle strength | 1/2(1/1) | 0.47–0.99‡ | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| - Range of motion | 1/2(1/1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| - Grip function | 0/1(0/1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| - Global impact of disease | 1/1(1/1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| - Mood | 0/1(0/1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Diet127 129 | Function | No papers | ||||
| Pain | 2/2(2/2) | – | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| QoL | No papers | |||||
| Fatigue | No papers | |||||
| Psychological interventions133 134 138 146 162 165 | Function | 1/2(1/1) | – | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pain | 3/5(3/3) | 0.177‡ | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| QoL | No papers | |||||
| Fatigue | 4/4(2/2) | 0.16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Other: | ||||||
| - Overall efficacy | 1/1(1/1) | – | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| - Negative mood and anxiety | 1/1 | 0.31–0.46 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Education128 129 159 | Function | 1/1(1/1) | – | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pain | 0/1 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| QoL | No papers | |||||
| Fatigue | 0/1 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Other: Mood | 1/1(1/1) | – | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Self-management programmes§122 125 126 132 135 137 144 148 152 160 167 | Function | 2/7(2/3) | – | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Pain | 3/9(3/4) | – | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| QoL | 0/2(0/1) | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Fatigue | 4/4(3/3) | 0.37 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Alternative medicine143 150 155 158 | Function | No papers | ||||
| Pain | 2/3(0/1) | 1.44–2.00 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| QoL | No papers | |||||
| Fatigue | 1/1 | 0.98–1.67 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Other: | ||||||
| - Range of motion | 1/1 | 0.49–14.37 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| - Morning stiffness | 1/1(1/1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| - Patient global assessment | 1/1(1/1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Cryotherapy142 149 | Function | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Pain | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| QoL | No papers | |||||
| Fatigue | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Balneotherapy123 124 164 165 | Function | 1/3(0/1) | – | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Pain | 1/3(0/1) | 0.88 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| QoL | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Fatigue | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Other: Global impact of disease | 0/1(0/1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Intensification of patient care130 131 145 161 168 169 | Function | 2/4 | 0.29 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Pain | 1/2 | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| QoL | 0/3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Fatigue | 1/2(0/1) | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Pharmacological (non-DMARD)139 141 151 156 163 170 | Function | 0/1(0/1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pain | 2/6(1/4) | 0.15ketoprofen patch | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| QoL | 0/2(0/2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Fatigue | No papers | |||||
| Other: Patient global assessment | 1/1(1/1) | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
*Mostly usual care or wait list.
†Cohen’s d, if different outcome measures were used, the range in effect sizes over these measures is reported.
‡Pooled effect size, reported in SLR.
§Combination of non-pharmacological interventions.
H, high (red); L, low (green); M, moderate (yellow); n, number of papers; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RoB, risk of bias; SLR, systematic literature review.