Background: shoulder pain is considered the third major musculoskeletal cause of functional alterations in individuals with pain during movement. This is an evidence synthesis of systematic reviews published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR).

Methods: this evidence synthesis included systematic reviews published in the CDSR. The inclusion criteria were systematic reviews involving individuals aged 16 years and older with rotator cuff disease, comparing surgical procedures associated or not with non-surgical procedures versus placebo, no treatment or other non-surgical intervention.

Results: we included 31 systematic reviews involving the comparison between surgical procedures and conservative treatment, combined or non-combined procedures with drugs and other procedures and procedures involving exercises, manual therapies and electrothermal and phototherapeutic resources.

Conclusions: the findings suggest that strengthening exercises, associated or not with techniques of manual therapies and electrothermotropic resources represented the interventions with greater power of treatment in the medium and long term for individuals suffering with this affliction, having greater therapeutic power when compared to surgical procedures.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: both conservative and surgical procedures for rotator cuff disease are important and have specific indications. Based on aspects such as cost, surgery risk, adverse events and intervention effectiveness, it is relevant that the effectiveness of both types of interventions are verified.