title: Radial extracorporeal shockwave treatment compared with supervised exercises in patients with subacromial pain syndrome: single blind randomised study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of radial extracorporeal shockwave treatment with that of supervised exercises in patients with shoulder pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single blind randomised study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatient clinic of physical medicine and rehabilitation department in Oslo, Norway.
  
  
  METHODS
  104 patients with subacromial shoulder pain lasting at least three months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radial extracorporeal shockwave treatment: one session weekly for four to six weeks. Supervised exercises: two 45 minute sessions weekly for up to 12 weeks. Primary outcome measure Shoulder pain and disability index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A treatment effect in favour of supervised exercises at 6, 12, and 18 weeks was found. The adjusted treatment effect was -8.4 (95% confidence interval -16.5 to -0.6) points. A significantly higher proportion of patients in the group treated with supervised exercises improved-odds ratio 3.2 (1.3 to 7.8). More patients in the shockwave treatment group had additional treatment between 12 and 18 weeks-odds ratio 5.5 (1.3 to 26.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supervised exercises were more effective than radial extracorporeal shockwave treatment for short term improvement in patients with subacromial shoulder pain.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinical trials NCT00653081.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ullevaal University Hospital, Kirkeveien 166, 0407 Oslo, Norway. kaiabe@medisin.uio.no
authors.forename: Kaia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engebretsen
authors.forename: Margreth
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grotle
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bautz-Holter
authors.forename: Leiv
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sandvik
authors.forename: Niels G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Juel
authors.forename: Ole Marius
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Ekeberg
authors.forename: Jens Ivar
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Brox
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019534:Shoulder Impingement Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult