Application of extracorporeal shockwaves in the treatment of scoliosis: a case report.
Hans-Rudolf Weiss
PMID 28603378WHAT IT FOUND
One girl wearing a part-time brace and receiving shockwave therapy showed short-term reductions in trunk rotation and finger-floor distance, but values returned after 3 to 5 days.
The brace and shockwave cannot be separated.
Key findings
01One 13-year-old girl received part-time brace treatment and five sessions of extracorporeal shock wave therapy together, with no other treatment, so the contribution of either component cannot be separated.
02After the shockwave sessions, average finger-floor distance was 22.6 cm before and 15.6 cm after, and average angle of trunk rotation was 13° before and 10.2° after, with p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively.
03The measured changes were not sustained, because both finger-floor distance and angle of trunk rotation returned to their initial values after 3 to 5 days.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is a case report of one girl, so it cannot show whether shockwave therapy works for scoliosis. Brace treatment and shockwave therapy were given together, so the effect of either one alone cannot be separated. The measured changes returned after 3 to 5 days, so the report does not show lasting benefit. Finger-floor distance varied by 2 to 3 cm with the patient's motivation, so the measurement may be sensitive to effort. The initial angle of trunk rotation of 21° had already reduced before the study started, and whether brace treatment caused that reduction is unknown. The patient was not fully compliant with the prescribed brace, which makes the treatment context unclear.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict of interest statement is provided in the supplied article text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that shockwave therapy alone reduces scoliosis deformity. The girl also received part-time brace treatment, and the measured changes returned after 3 to 5 days.