One Session of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy-Induced Modulation on Tendon Shear Modulus is Associated with...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Patellar tendinopathy is a common condition causing anterior knee pain in athletes.
• Tendon stiffness is a key factor in patellar tendinopathy, affecting pain and function.
• Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment modality explored for tendinopathies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the immediate impact of a single ESWT session on patellar tendon stiffness.
• To investigate the correlation between changes in tendon stiffness and pain intensity post-ESWT.
• To assess ESWT's efficacy in male athletes diagnosed with patellar tendinopathy.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four male athletes with patellar tendinopathy were randomized into ESWT and sham groups.
• ESWT group received 1500 impulses at 4 Hz; sham group received sub-therapeutic intensity.
• Supersonic Shearwave Imaging (SSI) measured tendon shear modulus (stiffness); pain assessed via VAS during compression and single-leg declined-squat test.

Main Results:

• A significant reduction in patellar tendon shear modulus was observed in the ESWT group (p = 0.001).
• No significant change in tendon stiffness was found in the sham group (p = 0.06).
• In the ESWT group, reduced tendon stiffness correlated with decreased pain during the single-leg declined-squat test (ρ = 0.55, p = 0.023).

Conclusions:

• One session of ESWT effectively reduces patellar tendon stiffness in athletes with tendinopathy.
• The observed reduction in tendon stiffness is linked to improved pain levels during functional tests.
• ESWT shows potential as an immediate therapeutic intervention for patellar tendinopathy management.