title: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder.
abstract: We prospectively studied extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for calcific tendinitis of the shoulder in 46 consecutive patients. All patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: treatment and control. The 33 patients in the treatment group received 2 courses of ESWT at the energy density of 0.55 mJ/mm(2) (1000 impulses). The control group underwent sham treatment with a dummy electrode (13 patients). Evaluation included the Constant score, pain scale, and radiographs. The ESWT results were good to excellent in 87.9% of shoulders (29/33) and fair in 12.1% (4/33), and the control results were fair in 69.2% (9/13) and poor in 30.1% (4/13). Among ESWT patients, calcium deposits were completely eliminated in 7 cases (21.2%), partially eliminated in 11 (36.3%), and unchanged in 15 (45.4%). In contrast, elimination was partial in 2 control patients (15.3%) and unchanged in 11 (84.7%). There was no significant difference between Gärtner type I and type II groups in the Constant score (P > .05). ESWT shows promise for pain relief and functional restoration of calcific tendinitis with negligible complications.
authors: Departments of Orthopaedics and Radiology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors: Chin-Jung
authors: CJ
authors: Hsu
authors: Der-Yean
authors: DY
authors: Wang
authors: Kuo-Fung
authors: KF
authors: Tseng
authors: Yi-Chin
authors: YC
authors: Fong
authors: Horng-Chaung
authors: HC
authors: Hsu
authors: Yick-Fung
authors: YF
authors: Jim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000209:etiology; D052256:Tendinopathy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*