Long-Term Effect of Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser in the Treatment of Patients with Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the long-term effect of pulsed NdYAG laser on the treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy. METHODS: Sixty patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy participated and completed the study. The mean age was 50.2 ± 3.6 years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups the control group and the treatment group. Both groups were treated with an exercise program, in addition to the pulsed NdYAG laser received by the treatment group and the "sham" laser received by the control group, both for three sessions per week for 4 weeks. Outcome measures included pain, assessed by the visual analog scale, and range of motion (ROM), assessed using a traditional goniometer, while the shoulder pain and disability index were used to evaluate the functional recovery of the shoulder joint. Evaluation was carried out before treatment, immediately after treatment, 3 months posttreatment, and 6 months posttreatment. Statistical analyses were used to investigate the effect of interventions and to compare the study groups' pretreatment, posttreatment, and at follow-up points. The significance level was set to p < 0.05. RESULTS: Pain was significantly decreased after treatment and at follow-up points, while ROM and shoulder functions were significantly improved after treatment and at follow-up intervals in both groups. The improvement was more significant in the treatment group than in the control group posttreatment and at follow-up intervals. CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed NdYAG laser combined with an exercise program seems to be more effective in the treatment of patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy than a sham laser with exercises.