Prospective controlled trial on radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy for treatment of supraspinatus tendinopathy in juvenile swimmers

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy for treatment of supraspinatus tendinopathy in juvenile swimmers. Methods The study was designed as a prospective randomized controlled trial. After supraspinatus tear was excluded, 16 juvenile swimmers who were diagnosed supraspinatus tendinopathy by clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging were enrolled in the study and were divided into control group and radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) group randomly.Ice compress, massage, modulated medium frequency electrotherapy were prescribed in the control group and meanwhile ice compress and rESWT were applied in the rESWT group. Visual analogue scale(VAS), simple shoulder test score, Constant score were used to evaluate before the treatment and at six weeks and 12 weeks after the last treatment. Independent t test was applied for comparing the results of both groups. P<0.05 was considered as significant difference. Results Compared to the control group, the VAS score of rESWT group was significantly lower at six weeks(t=3.757, P<0.01) and 12 weeks(t=3.982, P<0.01) after the last rESWT. Compared to baseline, MRI scan after rESWT showed no significant change of supraspinatus. None of the complications related to rESWT was observed. Conclusion It shows a better short-term result of rESWT in releasing shoulder pain in juvenile swimmers with supraspinatus tendinopathy; the long term results are not clear. Key words: Shoulder; Tendinopathy; Extracorporeal shockwave therapy; Complications