Best Thomas M, Moore Bob, Jarit Paddy, Moorman Claude T, Lewis George K
a Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine , The Ohio State University , Columbus , OH , USA.
b Biomedical Engineering , The Ohio State University , Columbus , OH , USA.
Phys Sportsmed. 2015 Nov;43(4):366-74. doi: 10.1080/00913847.2015.1095617. Epub 2015 Oct 15.
The effectiveness of sustained acoustic medicine to alleviate pain and improve function in subjects with elbow or Achilles tendinopathy was evaluated through a level IV case series study. Subjects were trained to self-apply the wearable, long-duration, low-intensity ultrasonic device on their affected body part at home for 4 hours a day, at least 5 times per week over 6 weeks. Twenty-five subjects with clinician-diagnosed tendinopathy of the elbow (medial or lateral epicondyle) or Achilles tendon were enrolled.
Pain measurements were recorded before, during, and after daily intervention using an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS). Function of the injured limb was assessed biweekly using dynamometry. Repeated measures ANOVAs and paired-samples t-tests were used to examine the effect of treatment over time.
Among subjects with elbow tendinopathy (n = 20), a 3.94 ± 2.15 point reduction in pain (p = 0.002) was observed over the 6-week study and a 2.83 ± 5.52 kg improvement in grip strength (p = 0.04) was observed over the first two weeks. In addition, a significant reduction in pain was observed within the 4-h treatment sessions (p < 0.001). Among 5 subjects with Achilles tendinopathy, a reduction in pain and improvement in strength was also observed.
Daily multi-hour ultrasonic therapy was associated with improved pain and increased function in subjects with chronic tendon injuries. This trial showed the safety and feasibility of self-administration of sustained acoustic medicine, and suggests that this therapy may be clinically beneficial in the treatment of tendinopathies of the elbow and Achilles tendon. A randomized controlled trial appears warranted to more definitively investigate the therapeutic potential of this treatment modality. Registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02466308.
通过一项IV级病例系列研究，评估持续声学疗法对缓解肘部或跟腱肌腱病患者疼痛及改善功能的有效性。受试者接受培训，在家中自行将可穿戴的、长时间、低强度超声设备应用于受影响的身体部位，每天4小时，每周至少5次，持续6周。招募了25名经临床医生诊断为肘部（内侧或外侧上髁）或跟腱肌腱病的受试者。
使用11点数字评分量表（NRS）在每日干预前、干预期间和干预后记录疼痛测量值。每两周使用测力计评估受伤肢体的功能。采用重复测量方差分析和配对样本t检验来检验治疗随时间的效果。
在肘部肌腱病患者（n = 20）中，在为期6周的研究中观察到疼痛减轻了3.94±2.15分（p = 0.002），在前两周观察到握力提高了2.83±5.52千克（p = 0.04）。此外，在4小时的治疗过程中观察到疼痛显著减轻（p < 0.001）。在5名跟腱肌腱病患者中，也观察到疼痛减轻和力量增强。
每日多小时的超声治疗与慢性肌腱损伤患者疼痛改善和功能增强相关。该试验表明了持续声学疗法自我给药的安全性和可行性，并表明这种疗法在治疗肘部和跟腱肌腱病方面可能具有临床益处。一项随机对照试验似乎有必要更明确地研究这种治疗方式的治疗潜力。在www.ClinicalTrials.gov上注册，NCT02466308。
