US-guided Percutaneous Electrolysis (EPE®) in Shoulder Pain

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Status: Completed

Conditions: Shoulder Pain

Treatments: Other: Eccentric exercise; Other: US-guided percutaneous electrolysis

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02569281

URJC 08-2015

Details and patient eligibility

About

Scientific evidence of conservative management of subacromial pain syndrome is conflicting. There is evidence that eccentric exercise programs are effective at medium term for this pain condition. The inclusion of other therapeutic modalities is still controversial. A recent study suggests that the inclusion of US-guided percutaneous electrolysis combined with eccentric exercises can be effective at short-term for this condition. The objective of this randomized clinical trial is to determine the effectiveness at short- and long-term of the inclusion of US-guided percutaneous electrolysis (EPE®) into a eccentric exercise protocol for the management of patients with subacromial pain syndrome for pain, function, disability and pressure pain sensitivity.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• unilateral shoulder complaints with duration of at least 3 months;
• an intensity of at least 4 on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) during arm elevation;
• a positive painful arc test during abduction
• at least one positive of the following tests: Hawkins-Kennedy test, Neer's sig, empty can test, drop arm or lift-off test

Exclusion criteria

• bilateral shoulder symptoms
• younger than 18 or older than 65 years
• history of shoulder fractures or dislocation
• cervical radiculopathy
• previous interventions with steroid injections
• fibromyalgia syndrome
• previous history of shoulder or neck surgery
• any type of intervention for the neck-shoulder area during the previous year

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

US-guided percutaneous electrolysis

Experimental group

Description:

Patients will receive one weekly session for 5 weeks including best-evidence manual therapy and an eccentric loading exercise program for the shoulder musculature, particularly the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. The exercise program will be asked to be performed on an individual basis twice every day. The therapeutic protocol will be applied for 5 weeks. In addition, they will receive one session of US-guided percutaneous electrolysis. This intervention consists of the application of a galvanic electrical current with an acupuncture needle in the soft tissue, in this case the supraspinatus tendon.

Treatment:

Other: US-guided percutaneous electrolysis

Eccentric exercise

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients will receive one weekly session for 5 weeks including best-evidence manual therapy and an eccentric loading exercise program for the shoulder musculature, particularly the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. The exercise program will be asked to be performed on an individual basis twice every day. The therapeutic protocol will be applied for 5 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Eccentric exercise