Scientific studies library

Xuejiao Guo¹, Lin Li1,², Zhe Yan¹, Yunze Li¹, Zhiyou Peng¹, Yixin Yang¹, Yanfeng Zhang¹, Christoph Schmitz³, Zhiying Feng¹
_{1Department of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Yuyao People Hospital of Zhejiang, Ningbo, China; 3Extracorporeal Shock Wave Research Unit, Chair of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany}

Successful treatment of a chronic nonspecific low back pain is a challenge. Should we use manual therapy? Drugs? How about radial extracorporeal shockwaves? In a recent study, Guo et al. tried to find out whether rESWT is more efficient in the management of chronic low back pain than a “drugs only” approach, using an NSAID and a skeletal muscle relaxant. They also searched for evidence if a combination of rESWT with  NSAIDs and skeletal muscle relaxants can represent a superior treatment option, as anecdotal evidence from physicians from Europe and Latin America is pointing at. What was the conclusion and how it may impact your everyday practice? Keep reading and find out.

James P.M. Morgan et al. 
Germany

Application of the multimodal therapy approach, including a protocol with almost daily radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) led to faster recovery time as compared with previously published studies!

Gerdesmeyer L, Frey C, Vester J, et al.
Am J Sports Med 2008;36:2100-2109

Chronic plantar fasciopathy can be treated efficiently with radial shock wave therapy, which can be administered to outpatients without having to reccur to anesthesia. This randomized controlled trial aims at demonstrating therapeutic superiority vs. placebo.

Magosch P, Lichtenberg S, Habermeyer P
Z Orthop Ihre Grenzgeb 2003;  141 : 629-636

"Radial shock wave therapy of rotator cuff tendinosis calcarea - A prospective study." (Study in German)

Gremion G, Augros R, Gobelet C, et al.
2000

Effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder. (Study in French)

Bjordal JM, Lopes-Martins RAB, Iversen VVA

British Journal of Sports Medicine 2006;40:76-80.

Randomised, placebo controlled study to investigate in situ if low-level laser therapy has an anti-inflammatory effect on activated tendinitis of the human Achilles tendon.
 

Shuji Mezawa, Koichi Iwata, Kimisato Naito, Hiroyuki Kamogawa
Archives of Oral Biology, Volume 33, Issue 9, 1988,pages 693-694

The possible analgesic effect of soft-laser irradiation on heat nociceptors in the cat tongue

Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Schmitz
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Research Unit, Chair of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a well-investigated and commonly used treatment modality in remedying a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. However, a limitation of ESWT is its potential risk for painfulness at higher, clinically relevant energy flux densities (EFDs), which may limit its applicability and resultingly, its effectiveness. 
E.M.S. is combatting this limitation with the Guided DolorClast® Therapy protocol, a comprehensively holistic approach towards musculoskeletal pain therapy. GDT includes a 6-step guidance program based on combined therapies, including the DolorClast® High Power Laser and the DolorClast® Radial Shock Waves devices. The following article provides clinical evidence for pursuit of this approach.

Ya-Fei ZHANG, MD, Yang LIU, MD, Shao-Wen CHOU, MD and Hao WENG, PhD
From the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Aerospace Center Hospital, Beijing, China