Effects of High Power Laser Therapy on Clinical and Sonographic Findings in People with Chronic Rotator Cuff Tendinitis

 High power laser therapy (HPLT) seems to be a new modality to possibly manage rotator cuff tendinitis.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of HPLT on clinical and sonographic findings in people with chronic rotator cuff tendinitis.

 Thirty-two people suffering from rotator cuff tendinitis participated in this study. The patients  were  randomly assigned to the control group (n=16) that received routine physiotherapy including Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), ultrasound, hot pack, exercise consisting range of motion, pendulum, strengthening, and stability exercises, or the treatment group (n=16) that received routine physiotherapy and HPLT in the painful area of the shoulder (12 sessions) Clinical and functional findings including pain, shoulder range of motion, shoulder disability, and sub-acromial liquid were measured using the visual analog scale, goniometry, questionnaire, and sonography, respectively before and after treatment.

 Pain, active and passive range of motion, shoulder disability and sub-acromial fluid accumulation were significantly different in both groups and improved, but no difference was reported in the thickness of the rotator cuff tendon, especially the supraspinatus tendon. The improvement was more significant (pain reduction and sub-acromial liquid, increase in range of motion and level of function) in the treatment group than in the control group (P <0.05).

 HPLT combined with the routine physiotherapy improve the clinical as well as sonography findings including supraspinatus tendon thickness and accumulation of sub-acromial fluid in people with rotator cuff tendinitis compared with those in the control group.