Short-term Effectiveness of Hyperthermia for Supraspinatus Tendinopathy in Athletes: A Short-term Randomized Controlled Study

• Published in: The American journal of sports medicine 2006-08, Vol.34 (8), p.1247-1253
• Main Authors: Giombini, Arrigo, Di Cesare, Annalisa, Safran, Marc R., Ciatti, Riccardo, Maffulli, Nicola
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Athletes; Athletic Injuries - complications; Athletic Injuries - physiopathology; Athletic Injuries - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Clinical outcomes; Clinical trials; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Exercise Therapy; Female; Fever; Follow-Up Studies; Heat; Humans; Hyperthermia; Hyperthermia, Induced; Hypotheses; Joints; Juxtaarticular diseases. Extraarticular rhumatism; Male; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Movement; Pain; Pain Measurement; Shoulder; Shoulder - physiopathology; Shoulder Injuries; Shoulder Pain - etiology; Shoulder Pain - physiopathology; Shoulder Pain - therapy; Soft Tissue Injuries - complications; Soft Tissue Injuries - physiopathology; Soft Tissue Injuries - therapy; Sports injuries; Sports medicine; Tendinitis; Tendinopathy - complications; Tendinopathy - physiopathology; Tendinopathy - therapy; Tendons; Thermotherapy; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonic Therapy
• ISSN: 0363-5465; 1552-3365
• DOI: 10.1177/0363546506287827

Background Hyperthermia has been introduced as a physical therapy modality for soft tissue injuries. Hypothesis The authors tested the null hypothesis that there are no short-term differences after the use of hyperthermia, ultra-sound, and exercises for tendinopathy of the supraspinatus tendon. Study Design Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods The authors studied 37 athletes (29 men, 8 women; mean age, 26.7 ± 5.8 years; range, 19-43 years) with supraspinatus tendinopathy who had had symptoms between 3 and 6 months. Subjects were randomly assigned to 3 groups. Group A (n = 14) received hyperthermia at 434 MHz. Group B (n = 12) received continuous ultrasound at 1 MHz at an intensity of 2.0 w/cm23 times a week. Group C (n = 11) undertook exercises, consisting of pendular swinging and stretching exercises 5 minutes twice a day every day. All interventions were undertaken for 4 weeks. Subjects were evaluated at baseline, immediately on completion of treatment, and at 6 weeks after the end of the intervention using mean pain score for pain at night, during movement, and at rest on a visual analog scale; pain on resisted movement and painful arc on active abduction between 40° and 120° on a 4-point scale; and Constant score. Results Patients who received hyperthermia experienced significantly better pain relief than did patients receiving ultrasound or exercises: group A, 5.96 to 1.2 (P = .03); group B, 6.3 to 5.15 (P = .10); group C, 6.1 to 4.9 (P = .09). Conclusion Hyperthermia at 434 MHz appears safe and effective in the short term for the management of supraspinatus tendinopathy.