Effects of Shockwave Therapy on Chronic Back Pain

• Introduction to chronic back pain
• Shockwave Therapy
• Results and benefits of Shockwave therapy

Introduction to chronic back pain

Chronic back pain is the second most common condition suffered by adults, surpassed only by the common cold. It is recognized not only as a health problem, but also as a social problem, since it is the most common cause of absenteeism among office workers. In modern industrial society, the number of patients with chronic back pain has gradually increased due to sedentary lifestyles.

Back pain can be prevented by regularly adopting proper posture while sitting and avoiding staying in a single position for a long period of time.  Chronic back pain has many causes, which are treated with various methods, such as bed rest, lumbar support devices, traction, thermotherapy, electrical stimulation, massage in most cases, and epidural injections. Surgery also has its place in treating back pain.

Shockwave Therapy

In Shockwave therapy, shock waves are applied to injuries to help with revascularization and to stimulate or reactivate the healing process of connective and bone tissue, thereby relieving pain and improving function. SWT can be used to relieve pain, as well as to improve muscle endurance through appropriate motor stimulation of muscles and tendons with shock waves. Although SWT is currently used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system, few studies have examined the effect of SWT on chronic back pain. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of SWT on patients with chronic back pain.

The present study was conducted with 28 patients (9 men, 19 women, average age 16-75 years) who visited the "K" neurosurgical hospital located in Daegu, Korea. They were classified by the neurosurgeon as having chronic back pain, since the back pain had persisted for 12 weeks or more. The study subjects were divided into an SWT group (n = 13) and a conservative physiotherapy group (CPG) (n = 15).

The main complaint of patients with chronic back pain was pain in the gluteal area and the lumbosacral region. Therefore, the regions treated were mainly the quadratus lumborum muscle, the gluteus maximus muscle, the gluteus medius muscle, the gluteus minimus muscle and the piriformis muscle. The CPG group received thermotherapy using hot packs, ultrasound and electrotherapy, using TENS. Both SWT and CPG received treatment twice a week for six weeks, and both groups took part in an exercise program made up of Williams and McKenzie exercises.

• Williams
  
• McKenzie
  

This exercise program was carried out in 30-minute sessions, twice a week, for six weeks.

Comparison of pain level between groups

Results and benefits of Shockwave therapy

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of SWT therapy applied to patients with chronic back pain. Other studies conducted on samples of 20 patients each have shown that:

• patients with calcific tendinitis were treated with Shockwave therapy and followed up three months later; 75% of patients showed pain relief.
• patients with calcific tendinitis of the shoulder joint were treated with Shockwave therapy, and 60% of patients regained normal function, while 72% of patients had only intermittent discomfort.
• patients with epicondylitis treated with Shockwave therapy showed both a significant reduction in pain and a significant increase in muscle strength. 
• Shockwave therapy healed inflammation in tendons and ligaments.

The comparison on the VAS scale within the SWT group and the CPG group showed improvements after the intervention. But the group undergoing SWT treatment showed a significantly greater improvement. It is believed that SWT works by breaking down calcifications, inducing increases in blood flow and revascularization, stimulating and reactivating the healing process of tendons, surrounding tissues and bones. We believe that the present study showed decreases in VAS as a result of these same processes.

Centrokinetic is the place where you will find answers and clear solutions for your mobility problems. The clinic dedicated to bone and joint conditions is divided into the following specialized departments:

• Orthopedics, a department made up of a highly experienced team of orthopedic surgeons, led by Dr. Andrei Ioan Bogdan, senior physician in orthopedics-traumatology, with surgical activity at  the Medlife Orthopedic Hospital, specialized in sports traumatology and in ankle and foot surgery.
• Pediatric orthopedics, where children's sports injuries are treated (ligament and meniscus injuries), spinal deformities (scoliosis, kyphosis, hyperlordosis) and foot conditions (hallux valgus, hallux rigidus, clubfoot, flat valgus foot, cavus foot).
• Neurology,  which has a state-of-the-art department, where consultations, electroencephalograms (EEG) and electromyograms (EMG) are performed. 
• Medical rehabilitation for adults and children, a department specialized in the recovery of performance athletes, in spinal conditions, and in the recovery of children with neurological and traumatic conditions. Our experience is extremely rich, having treated over 5000 performance athletes.
• Medical imaging, the clinic being equipped with ultrasound and MRI, high-performance devices dedicated to musculoskeletal conditions, and complemented by an experienced team of radiologists: Dr. Sorin Ghiea and Dr. Cosmin Pantu, specialized in musculoskeletal imaging.

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