The efficacy of therapeutic ultrasound for rotator cuff tendinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
One article on PainSci cites Desmeules 2015: Does Ultrasound Therapy Work?
PainSci summary of Desmeules 2015: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided at the bottom of the page, as often as possible.
A negative review concluding that rotator cuff tendinopathy “does not provide any benefit … based on low to moderate level evidence” from 11 weak trials.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of therapeutic ultrasound (US) in adults suffering from rotator cuff tendinopathy. A literature search was conducted in four databases for randomized controlled trials (RCT) published until 12/2013, comparing the efficacy of US to any other interventions in adults suffering from rotator cuff tendinopathy. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias of included studies. Data were summarized qualitatively or quantitatively. Eleven RCTs with a low mean methodological score (50.0% ± 15.6%) were included. Therapeutic US did not provide greater benefits than a placebo intervention or advice in terms of pain reduction and functional improvement. When provided in conjunction with exercise, US therapy is not superior to exercise alone in terms of pain reduction and functional improvement (pooled mean difference of the Constant-Murley score: -0.26 with 95% confidence interval of -3.84 to 3.32). Laser therapy was found superior to therapeutic US in terms of pain reduction. Based on low to moderate level evidence, therapeutic US does not provide any benefit compared to a placebo or advice, to laser therapy or when combined to exercise. More methodologically sound studies on the efficacy of therapeutic US are warranted.
related content
- “The effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound for musculoskeletal conditions of the lower limb: A literature review,” Pippa Shanks, Michael Curran, Paul Fletcher, and Richard Thompson, Foot (Edinb), 2010.
- “Therapeutic ultrasound for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip,” Anne Ws Rutjes, Eveline Nüesch, Rebekka Sterchi, and Peter Jüni, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2010.
- “Effect of therapeutic ultrasound on tendons,” Wen-Chung Tsai, Sf-T Tang, and Fang-Chen Liang, Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2011.
- “Therapeutic ultrasound for carpal tunnel syndrome,” Matthew J Page, Denise O’Connor, Veronica Pitt, and Nicola Massy-Westropp, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013.
- “Therapeutic ultrasound for acute ankle sprains,” Michel Pj van den Bekerom, Daniëlle Awm van der Windt, Gerben Ter Riet, Geert J van der Heijden, and Lex M Bouter, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2011.
- “Therapeutic ultrasound for chronic low-back pain,” Safoora Ebadi, Nicholas Henschke, Noureddin Nakhostin Ansari, Ehsan Fallah, and Maurits W van Tulder, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Relationships Between Sleep Quality and Pain-Related Factors for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: Tests of Reciprocal and Time of Day Effects. Gerhart 2017 Ann Behav Med.
- Modulation in the elastic properties of gastrocnemius muscle heads in individuals with plantar fasciitis and its relationship with pain. Zhou 2020 Sci Rep.
- Association Between Plantar Fasciitis and Isolated Gastrocnemius Tightness. Nakale 2018 Foot Ankle Int.
- No Added Benefit of Combining Dry Needling With Guideline-Based Physical Therapy When Managing Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Stieven 2020 J Orthop Sports Phys Ther.
- Effectiveness of customised foot orthoses for Achilles tendinopathy: a randomised controlled trial. Munteanu 2015 Br J Sports Med.