Magdalena Staniek, Marek Kiljański, Joanna Kałuża-Pawłowska, Patryk Kiljański
M. Staniek, M. Kiljański, J. Kałuża-Pawłowska, P. Kiljański – Comparison of the effectiveness of certain physical therapy treatments in shoulder pain in patients with degenerative lesions. Fizjoterapia Polska 2018; 18(4); 6-13
Abstract
Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of laser therapy in shoulder pain in patients with degenerative lesions. The assessment applied to impact of the respective treatments on such parameters as: pain scale, subjective evaluation of health condition, degree of functionality expressed using measurements of the range of movements of the shoulder joint (flexion, extension, abduction) and of the muscle strength based on Lovett scale before and after treatment.
Materials and methods. The research was conducted on a group of 50 patients aged 60-85, with homogenous diagnosis of: degenerative joint disease. The research was conducted in the County Center of Medical Services in Kielce. All patients were divided into two groups of 25 people. The first one included 17 women and 8 men, while the second one – 15 women and 10 men. The first group underwent three physical therapy treatments, i.e.: ultrasound, magnetotherapy, cryotherapy, while the second one was additionally subject to laser therapy.
Results. The results demonstrated that the applied physical therapy treatments in both groups significantly affected the progression of the parameters examined. A larger difference in improvement of the subjective evaluation of the health condition was recorded in the group of patients that did not undergo laser therapy. The results patients from the other group were better in terms of reduction in pain calculated in the VAS scale and of improvement of the range of movements during abduction and extension. The remaining examined parameters, such as: range of flexion and muscle strength, improved to the same degree in both groups. The only statistically relevant difference was in improvement of the range of abduction among the patients who additionally underwent laser therapy.
Conclusions. The examination conducted proved effectiveness of such physical therapy treatments as: cryotherapy, ultrasounds, magnetotherapy, performed with and without laser therapy, applied in pains of the shoulder area in patients with degenerative lesions. The therapy using a medical laser proved more effective.
Key words:
degenerative joint disease, shoulder, shoulder girdle, medical laser, laser therapy
