Efficacy of Combining Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Physical Therapy in the Treatment of Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the combined effectiveness of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and physical therapy in treating rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT).Material and Methods: A total of 62 patients diagnosed with RCT were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to 2 groups. The intervention group received a treatment protocol consisting of infrared therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), mobilization, and active extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). The control group receives TENS, mobilization, and infrared therapy. All patients received 5 treatment sessions per week for 4 consecutive weeks, with ESWT administered once weekly. All patients were assessed for pain intensity using visual analog scales (VAS), and shoulder joint function using the Constant–Murley Shoulder Score at baseline, 2, and 4 weeks after the intervention.Results: Although both groups exhibited significant reductions in pain intensity compared to the baseline, a statistically significant difference between the groups was observed after only 2 weeks of intervention (p-value<0.05). Furthermore, the shoulder joint function in the intervention group was significantly improved at both 2 and 4 weeks of follow-up compared to the control group (all p-value<0.05).Conclusion: The combination of ESWT with TENS, infrared therapy, and mobilization demonstrated a superior efficacy in reducing pain in rotator cuff tendinopathy. Notably, this pain relief effect was correlated with improvements in shoulder joint function.