In September 2014, a new study was presented in the USA. The aim of this comparative study was to compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-assisted needle lavage for the treatment of calcific tendonitis with shock wave therapy. The results of the study are clear according to rigorous scientific criteria. Ultrasound-assisted needle lavage for the treatment of calcific tendonitis is significantly superior to shock wave therapy.
Needle lavage leads to significantly better calcification removal than shock wave therapy. This led to reduced pain levels and significantly improved shoulder function for patients in the needle lavage treatment group.
This result is absolutely consistent with my experience with treating calcific tendonitis with needle lavage. In our practice, almost 3,000 patients had been treated with needle lavage by November 2014.
I regularly performed shock wave therapy myself until 2008. With the introduction of needle lavage, I increasingly abandoned shock wave therapy, as the results from needle lavage were more convincing in my hands. The new study confirms this feeling. It remains incomprehensible to me why needle lavage continues to lead a shadowy existence in Germany. With the ever-increasing number of positive studies, one gets the feeling that people in Germany want to ignore this therapy. Otherwise, the behavior of many colleagues cannot be explained when patients report how their doctor reacted when asked about it.
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