Appendix 1. Example of eligible participants

Eligible participants, those with existing contractures or at risk of contractures, include, but will not be restricted to, people:

• with neurological conditions (e.g. stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, Guillain‐Barré syndrome, Parkinson's disease);

• with advanced age (e.g. frailty);

• with underlying joint or muscle pathology and disease processes (e.g. inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis); and

• who are unconscious or semi‐conscious following surgery, an acute injury or illness (e.g. participants in intensive care).

Appendix 2. Search strategies

Cochrane Injuries Group Specialised Register
#1 ((((Joint* or muscle*) and (mobili* or movement* or spastic* or rigid* or elastic* or stiff* or extensib* or flexib* or shorten*))) OR ("Range of motion" or contracture*)) AND ( INREGISTER) [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#2 ((physical or motion or movement or passiv* or CPM or exercise or "Continuous Passive")) [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#3 therap* OR (passiv* and (movement* or motion)) [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#4 #2 AND #3 [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#5 (stretch* and (body or arm* or leg* or limb* or joint* or muscle* or torso or trunk)) [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#6 ("Muscle stretching exercise*" or "Resistance training" or "musculoskeletal manipulation*" or "Exercise Movement Technique*" or splint* or "orthotic device*" or yoga) [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#7 #4 OR #5 OR #6 [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]
#8 #1 AND #7 [REFERENCE] [STANDARD]

Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
#1MeSH descriptor Contracture explode all trees
#2MeSH descriptor Muscle Rigidity explode all trees
#3MeSH descriptor Muscle Spasticity explode all trees
#4MeSH descriptor Elasticity explode all trees with qualifier: PH
#5MeSH descriptor Range of Motion, Articular explode all trees
#6contracture* or "Range of motion" or ((Joint* or muscle*) near3 (mobili* or movement* or spastic* or rigid* or elastic* or stiff* or extensib* or flexib* or shorten*))
#7(#1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5 OR #6)
#8MeSH descriptor Exercise Therapy, this term only
#9MeSH descriptor Muscle Stretching Exercises, this term only
#10MeSH descriptor Resistance Training, this term only
#11MeSH descriptor Physical Medicine, this term only
#12MeSH descriptor Physical Therapy Modalities, this term only
#13MeSH descriptor Motion Therapy, Continuous Passive explode all trees
#14MeSH descriptor Musculoskeletal Manipulations explode all trees
#15MeSH descriptor Exercise Movement Techniques explode all trees
#16MeSH descriptor Splints explode all trees
#17MeSH descriptor Orthotic Devices explode all trees
#18MeSH descriptor Yoga explode all trees
#19(physical near3 therap*) or (motion near3 therap*) or (movement near3 therap*) or (passiv* near3 movement*) or (passiv* near3 motion) or (CPM near3 therap*)
#20(stretch*) near3 (body or arm* or leg* or limb* or joint* or muscle* or torso or trunk)
#21(#8 OR #9 OR #10 OR #11 OR #12 OR #13 OR #14 OR #15 OR #16 OR #17 OR #18 OR #19 OR #20)
#22(#7 AND #21)

MEDLINE (Ovid SP)
1. exp Contracture/
2. exp Muscle Rigidity/
3. contracture*.ab,ti.
4. exp Muscle Spasticity/
5. exp Elasticity/ph [Physiology]
6. exp "Range of Motion, Articular"/ph [Physiology]
7. ((Joint* or muscle*) adj3 (mobili* or movement* or spastic* or rigid* or elastic* or stiff* or extensib* or flexib* or shorten*)).ab,ti.
8. "Range of motion".ab,ti.
9. or/1‐8
10. Exercise therapy/
11. Muscle stretching exercises/
12. Resistance training/
13. Physical Medicine/
14. physical therapy modalities/
15. exp Motion Therapy, Continuous Passive/
16. exp musculoskeletal manipulations/
17. exp Exercise Movement Techniques/
18. exp Splints/
19. exp Orthotic devices/
20. exp Yoga/
21. ((physical adj therap*) or (motion adj therap*) or (movement adj therap*) or (passiv* adj movement*) or (passiv* adj motion) or (CPM adj therap*)).ab,ti.
22. (stretch* adj3 (body or arm* or leg* or limb* or joint* or muscle* or torso or trunk)).ab,ti.
23. or/10‐22
24. 9 and 23
25. randomi?ed.ab,ti.
26. randomized controlled trial.pt.
27. controlled clinical trial.pt.
28. placebo.ab.
29. clinical trials as topic.sh.
30. randomly.ab.
31. trial.ti.
32. 25 or 26 or 27 or 28 or 29 or 30 or 31
33. (animals not (humans and animals)).sh.
34. 32 not 33
35. 24 and 34

EMBASE (Ovid SP)
1.exp muscle contracture/
2.exp Muscle Rigidity/
3.contracture*.ab,ti.
4.exp spasticity/
5.exp physical mobility/
6.((Joint* or muscle*) adj3 (mobili* or movement* or spastic* or rigid* or elastic* or stiff* or extensib* or flexib* or shorten*)).ab,ti.
7."Range of motion".ab,ti.
8.exp muscle strength/
9.or/1‐8
10.Exercise therapy/
11.Muscle stretching exercises/
12.Resistance training/
13.Physical Medicine/
14.physical therapy modalities/
15.exp Motion Therapy, Continuous Passive/
16.exp musculoskeletal manipulations/
17.exp Exercise Movement Techniques/
18.exp Splints/
19.exp Orthotic devices/
20.exp Yoga/
21.((physical adj therap*) or (motion adj therap*) or (movement adj therap*) or (passiv* adj movement*) or (passiv* adj motion) or (CPM adj therap*)).ab,ti.
22.(stretch* adj3 (body or arm* or leg* or limb* or joint* or muscle* or torso or trunk)).ab,ti.
23.or/10‐22
24.9 and 23
25.exp Randomized Controlled Trial/
26.exp controlled clinical trial/
27.randomi?ed.ab,ti.
28.placebo.ab.
29.*Clinical Trial/
30.randomly.ab.
31.trial.ti.
32.25 or 26 or 27 or 28 or 29 or 30 or 31
33.exp animal/ not (exp human/ and exp animal/)
34.32 not 33
35.24 and 34
36.Limit 35 to exclude medline journals

PsycINFO (Ovid SP)
1. muscle contractions/
2. exp Muscle Spasms/
3. "range of motion"/
4. contracture*.ab,ti.
5. ((Joint* or muscle*) adj3 (mobili* or movement* or spastic* or rigid* or elastic* or stiff* or extensib* or flexib* or shorten*)).ab,ti.
6. "Range of motion".ab,ti.
7. 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6
8. exercise/
9. exp Movement Therapy/
10. physical treatment methods/
11. exp Yoga/
12. ((physical adj therap*) or (motion adj therap*) or (movement adj therap*) or (passiv* adj movement*) or (passiv* adj motion) or (CPM adj therap*)).ab,ti.
13. (stretch* adj3 (body or arm* or leg* or limb* or joint* or muscle* or torso or trunk)).ab,ti.
14. 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or 13
15. 7 and 14
16. exp clinical trials/
17. exp placebo/
18. exp treatment effectiveness evaluation/
19. exp mental health program evaluation/
20. exp experimental design/
21. exp prospective studies/
22. clinical trial*.ab,ti.
23. controlled clinical trial.ab,ti.
24. randomi?ed controlled trial.ab,ti.
25. randomi?ed.ab,ti.
26. placebo.ab.
27. randomly.ab.
28. trial.ti.
29. ((singl* or doubl* or trebl* or tripl*) adj3 (blind* or dummy or mask*)).ab,ti.
30. ((crossover or clin* or control* or compar* or evaluat* or prospectiv*) adj3 (trial* or studi* or study)).ab,ti.
31. 16 or 17 or 18 or 19 or 20 or 22 or 23 or 24 or 25 or 26 or 27 or 28 or 29 or 30
32. exp animals/
33. exp human females/
34. exp human males/
35. 33 or 34
36. 32 not (32 and 35)
37. 31 not 36
38. 15 and 37

ISI Web of Science: Science Citation Index—Expanded (SCI‐EXPANDED); Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI); Conference Proceedings Citation Index—Science (CPCI‐S); Conference Proceedings Citation Index—Social Sciences & Humanities (CPCI‐SSH)
#9#8 AND #7 AND #6
#8 TS=((physical or motion or movement or passiv* or CPM or exercise or "Continuous Passive") NEAR/3 (therap*)) OR TS=((passiv*) NEAR/3 (movement* or motion)) OR TS=((stretch*) NEAR/3 (body or arm* or leg* or limb* or joint* or muscle* or torso or trunk)) OR TS=(Muscle stretching exercise* or Resistance training or musculoskeletal manipulation* or Exercise Movement Technique* or splint* or orthotic device* or yoga)
#7 TS=((Joint* or muscle*) NEAR/3 (mobili* or movement* or spastic* or rigid* or elastic* or stiff* or extensib* or flexib* or shorten*)) OR TS=(Range of motion or contracture*)
#6 #5 AND #4
#5 TS=(human*)
#4 #3 OR #2 OR #1
#3 TS=((singl* OR doubl* OR trebl* OR tripl*) SAME (blind* OR mask*))
#2 TS=(controlled clinical trial OR controlled trial OR clinical trial OR placebo)
#1 TS=(randomised OR randomized OR randomly OR random order OR random sequence OR random allocation OR randomly allocated OR at random OR randomized controlled trial)