Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the treatment of chronic calcifying tendonitis of the rotator cuff: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been used to treat calcific tendonitis of the shoulder, but trials of ESWT for this purpose have had methodological deficiencies and thus there is limited evidence for its effectiveness.

Objective: To determine whether fluoroscopy-guided ESWT improves function, reduces pain, and diminishes the size of calcific deposits in patients with chronic calcific tendonitis of the shoulder.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted between February 1997 and March 2001 among 144 patients (of 164 screened) recruited from referring primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and sports physicians in 7 orthopedic departments in Germany and Austria.