Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Hospital do Servidor Publico Estadual, Sao Paulo, Brazil | [b] Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital do Servidor Publico Estadual, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: André Tadeu Sugawara, Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Hospital do Servidor Publico Estadual, 2 ∘ Andar, Bloco 4, Medicina Fisica e Reabilitacao, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 1800, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-000, Brazil. Tel.: +55 11 5078 8305; E-mail: andre.sugawara@gmail.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Myofascial Pain Syndrome causes disability in daily life activities and despite all efforts, it continues to be a challenge, perpetuating suffering, overloading services and costs. New treatment options need to be tested. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify the rESWT short-term analgesic effect and identify the predictors of success through comparing results achieved in MPS and Articular Pain (AP). METHOD: Retrospective cohort study of 1,580 patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome or Articular Pain underwent two weekly radial Extracorporeal Shock-wave Therapy sessions. The pain intensity was measured by Visual Analog Scale before and one week after the end of the treatment (3 weeks). RESULTS: The therapy decreases pain by 62.50% (p< 0.0001), with a high success rate (91.59%) and a low worsening of baseline conditions rate (2.1%). The best recommendation is for patients with intense myofascial pain (Visual Analog Scale ⩾ 70 mm), using high shock-wave frequency (⩾ 15 Hz). CONCLUSIONS: Two rESWT sessions promote pain relief, with a high success rate and low rates of treatment abandonment and worsening. The best results are obtained in myofascial pain patients with high pain intensity, treated with high-frequency dosage.
