Comparing the effect of combined therapy of extracorporeashock wave therapy and ice massage with combined therapy of therapeutic ultrasound with paraffin wax bath itreating trigger finger

Abstract

Introduction: Trigger finger is a common hand disorder characterized by locking, catching, or clicking with range of motion of the affected finger. Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of combined therapy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and ice massage to the combined therapy of therapeutic ultrasound (US) and paraffin wax bath in treating trigger finger. Method: 19 patients were assigned to the US + wax bath group while the remaining 10 were assigned to ESWT + ice massage group. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed using visual analog scale (VAS) to measure pain score and Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Quick DASH) questionnaire to assess the functionality of the affected limb at 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th week after the initial treatment. Results: The US + wax bath group had reduced more pain and improved more hand function than the ESWT + ice massage group for all visits. Conclusion: This study was not able to prove the hypothesis that ESWT + ice massage group was better than US + wax bath in treating trigger finger. However, a similar study like this but with larger sample size, individualized protocols for ESWT participants, longer study durations and conducted by experts in ESWT is able to show which treatment is better in treating trigger finger.