Analgesic Effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment Combined with Fascial Manipulation Theory for Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder: A Retrospective Study

Objectives: This study aims to explore whether extracorporeal shockwave treatment (ESWT) based on the theory of fascial manipulation (FM) at select treatment points is superior to traditional local ESWT for pain relief in adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.

Methods: Data from patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder who received weekly ESWT according to fascial manipulation theory (ESWT-FM) or local extracorporeal shockwave treatment (L-ESWT) during a 5-week treatment period were evaluated. Pain-on-movement numeric rating scale (p-NRS) and range of motion (ROM) testing were performed before the treatment period, after the first treatment, and after the fifth treatment.

Results: There were significant reductions in pain scores in the ESWT-FM group (p < 0.05) after the first treatment, and after the fifth treatment, both groups had marked, significant improvement (p < 0.05), with a significantly greater reduction in pain (p-NRS) in the ESWT-FM group compared to the L-ESWT group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in terms of ROM in the L-ESWT group, while there was slight improvement of forward flexion in the ESWT-FM group after the fifth treatment.

Conclusions: ESWT-FM provided faster pain relief and slightly more notable improvement of function compared with L-ESWT for the patients with adhesive capsulitis of shoulder.