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Published on: December 23, 2022
[Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the treatment of chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy]
1Orthopedic Consultant, Bucknell University, SUN Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Lewisburg. jfuria@sunortho.com
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for the treatment of adults with chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
Methods:
68 patients with chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy were enrolled in this study. A total of 35 patients were treated with a single dose of ESWT (3000 shocks of 0.20 mJ/mm(2), ESWT group), while 33 patients were treated with traditional non-operative measures (control group).
Results:
At 3 months post treatment, the mean VAS for the control and ESWT groups were 2.9 and 7.2 respectively. Using the Roles and Maudsley scale, 39% of the control patients and 51% of the ESWT patients were assigned an excellent or good result.
Conclusions:
ESWT as applied is a safe and effective treatment for chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
