Effectiveness of high intensity laser treatment in partial supraspinatus tendon tears: a randomised controlled trial

The most common cause of rotator cuff injury is supraspinatus tendon tears (STTs). High-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has recently emerged as an important conservative treatment option. This study was designed as a randomised controlled trial in patients with partial STTs to compare the effects of HILT with those of ultrasound (US) therapy. Fifty patients between the ages of 18-75, who were diagnosed with partial STT were randomised into two groups using the closed envelope method. They were blinded to group assignment. Group-1 received 3-week HILT program. Group-2 received 3-week US therapy program. HILT and US therapy were carried out by the same physiotherapist. The primary outcome measure was VAS. Secondary outcome measures were Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and supraspinatus tendon thickness (SP) by ultrasonography. Nine patients dropped out of the study leaving 41 (Group-1, n = 20; Group-2, n = 21) patients for analysis. There was no significant difference between the groups before treatment in terms of age, body mass index values, gender, affected side, smoking, comorbidities, STT, VAS and SPADI values. VAS and SPADI values ​​decreased significantly in both groups at the 4th and 12th weeks. However, VAS and SPADI values ​​at the 4th and 12th weeks were significantly lower in the HILT group than in the US group. Cohen's d analysis revealed large effect sizes at the 4th and 12th weeks favoring the HILT group. There was no significant change in SP within and between groups at any time points. The findings show that HILT is superior to US treatment in reducing pain and improving function and quality of life in the long term. Both treatment methods did not affect SP. Clinical Trials ID: NCT06637410.