Shock Wave Therapy Useful For Stress Fractures

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an effective way to treat resistant stress fractures in athletes, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Zensyukai Hospital Gunma Sports Medicine Research Center (Gunma, Japan) treated a total of 62 patients with ESWT between 1997 and 2003, including five athletes with chronic stress fractures that failed to heal after medical or surgical therapy. The athletes were between 13 and 22 years of age and fractures were located in the leg, pubic bone, ankle, or foot. The patients were participants in baseball, basketball, marathon, or soccer. Each patient underwent one session of ESWT, performed under spinal anesthesia in an operating room.

The researchers reported the results of the treatment in five cases, and found that successful bone union was achieved in all cases roughly 3 months after ESWT and the subjects were then able to return to their sports after 3 to 6 months. The study was published in the July 2007 edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

"We require additional basic and clinical studies to understand the effectiveness of ESWT, along with studies to determine the optimal energy level and impulse rate for the device,” concluded lead author Masanori Taki, M.D., and colleagues. "Nevertheless, when appropriately used, ESWT can be a safe and effective treatment for stress fractures, especially in resistant cases.”

ESWT is a noninvasive surgical procedure that uses sound waves to stimulate healing in some physical disorders. Because there is no incision, ESWT offers two main advantages over traditional surgical methods: Fewer potential complications and a faster return to normal activity. ESWT has been used extensively for several years to treat plantar fasciitis and other disorders.


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