NCT06637410

Effectiveness of High Intensity Laser Treatment In Partial Supraspinatus Tendon Tears

Effectiveness of High Intensity Laser Treatment in Partial Supraspinatus Tendon Tears: A Randomised Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 41 (actual)
• Sponsor: Ankara City Hospital Bilkent · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The primary goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on tears of tendons of shoulder girdle muscles with those of Ultrasound (US) therapy. It will also learn about the effects of HILT on pain and range of motion of injured shoulder. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does HILT decrease the debilitating pain? Does HILT increase the range of motion of the sholuder joint? How long does the effect of HILT continue? Researchers will compare the effects of HILT to a control group (ultrasound therapy group, an established method of treatment in shoulder girdle tendon tears) to see if HILT works better to treat shoulder girdle tendon tears. Participants will: receive HILT or US therapy 3 sessions per week for 3 weeks in addition to the therapeutic exercise program. Visit the clinic at the beginning, at the 4th week and at the 12th week to determine the level of pain and disability via application of surveys. Tendon thickness of participants will also be measured at the beginning, at the 4th week and at the 12th week to see if the treatment works to heal the tear.

Detailed description

Shoulder disorders are one of the most common musculoskeletal problems worldwide. After low back pain and knee pain, shoulder pain has been estimated to be the third most common musculoskeletal presentation in primary care. Shoulder joint is surrounded by rotator cuff muscles and rotator cuff tendinopathy is the most common cause of shoulder pain. Shoulder pain caused by partial supraspinatus tendon tear (STT) is a complex and challenging issue for clinicians. The choice of the most appropriate treatment management for these tears is controversial. For Ellman grade I and II tears which comprise STTs of less than 50% or tears which are below 6 mm in thickness, strengthening exercises, ultrasound (US) therapy, physical therapy, injection treatment and medical treatment can provide improvement in patients. However, in grade III tears which involve STTs of more than 50% of the muscle or tears above 6 mm in thickness surgical treatment may be required. Recently, high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has been introduced and used in treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. There is no universally accepted theory that explains the exact mechanism of the postulated laser effects, yet. Nd:YAG laser which has a wavelength of 1064 nm is used in HILT. It works in a therapeutic window that has a low absorbability rate in superficial tissue layers, so it penetrates more deeply than other types of lasers. In addition to having a higher power than low-intensity lasers, lasers used in HILT have a shorter laser emission time and a longer laser emission interval. Therefore, a large amount of laser irradiation can be delivered to deep tissues. The utilization of HILT has been expanding, and patients have reported significant improvement in function and reduction of pain. To our knowledge, no studies to date have been conducted on the effects of HILT on partial STT. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of HILT on pain, disability, and range of motion in patients with shoulder pain caused by STT and to compare its effects to those of US therapy. The current study was designed as a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial and conducted after approval from the local ethics committee of our medical center. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of Declaration of Helsinki and registered in the government database. The patients were recruited from the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic

Conditions

• Shoulder Pain
• Supraspinatus Tear

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	High intensity laser therapy	HILT was performed by a single physiotherapist experienced in using a laser device. During HILT application, the patients were seated comfortably on chairs and their shoulders were in neutral position. The wavelength of the laser light used was 1064 nanometers. In the HILT group, the device was used on the rotator cuff muscles in two stages: phase I and phase II. Pulse method was used in phase I for analgesic effect. A standard frequency of 25 Hz is applied. During the first four therapy sessions, it was aimed to provide an analgesic effect by using 8 W power and 12 J/cm dose. The rays were applied to the rotator cuff muscles area in a circle from outside to inside for 2.5 minutes, for a total energy of 300 J, on an area of 25 cm2. For the biostimulation effect, the continuous wave method was used in phase II. n the next five sessions, biostimulation effect was applied using 7W power. A dose of 100 J/cm was applied longitudinally to the rotator cuff muscles.
DEVICE	Ultrasound therapy	US therapy was performed by a single physiotherapist experienced in using US device. Calibration and control of the device are performed regularly. During US therapy, the patients were seated comfortably on chairs and their shoulders were in neutral position. The standard US dose was 1.2 W/cm2. The duration of ultrasound was 8 minutes. Using slow circular movements, the physiotherapist applied the transducer head of US device over the shoulder joint on an area of 25 cm2. US device was used in pulsed mode at a frequency of 1 MHz. The therapeutic ultrasound pulse cycle was 50%.
OTHER	Therapeutic Exercise	ROM exercises and Codman exercises, in a level not to increase the severity of the pain of the patient, were given and stretching and strengthening exercises were taught to the patients. They performed these exercises daily in two sets with five repeats in each set underCalibration and control of the device are performed regularly.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-06-01
• Primary completion: 2023-12-01
• Completion: 2023-12-01
• First posted: 2024-10-15
• Last updated: 2024-10-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)