Shin Splints: Efficacy of Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Ballet Dancers. A Series Of Cases

Abstract

Shin splints — also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, anterior compartment and posteromedial compartment syndrome — have been widely studied in athletes, mostly in runners, but not in dancers. This paper presents the results of treatment with radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) in 4 ballet dancers with shin splint diagnosis. Four patients were treated with two different rESWT devices after the failure of different therapeutic modalities. They received 6 weekly sessions applied along the tibial shaft (3,000p, 2.5b, 7Hz), and a stretching program. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used for pain quantification during ballet training and a rating score to determine maximum painless jumping tolerance. Mean decrease in pain VAS score was 4,8 points. Impairment of exercise tolerance was reduced from 3 to 1 points. Patients were able to continue with their normal training and performance schedules. Three were asymptomatic after 6 months; one experienced some discomfort during high-intensity rehearsals, but was still able to perform. rESWT was shown to be an effective, non-invasive treatment alternative for these patients, achieving functional improvement and pain relief, allowing them to comply with their performance schedules. Large-scale prospective trials are still required to elucidate the effectiveness of rESWT in these patients.