Shoulder pain is a very common musculoskeletal complaint. Many modalities of treatment are attempted prior to surgery. In Europe, low energy radial extracoporeal shockwave treatments (ESWT) have been used for subacromial shoulder pain. Norwegian investigators compared the outcome of ESWT to supervised exercise over 18 weeks. They found a small, but significant benefit in favor of the exercise–and most of those treated with exercise returned to work.
PositiveTip: Sometimes, appropriate exercises can be more effective than costlier procedures. Always ask your doctor to discuss the alternatives with you.