[Comparative study of the efficacy of ultrasound and sonophoresis in the treatment of painful shouder syndrome].

This research tries to determine the difference between two forms of physical therapy, as regards their efficiency, in treating painful shoulder syndrome. They are ultrasound and sonophoresis. The research comprised 64 patients, divided in two groups. One group was treated by 10 ultrasound procedures (16 women and 17 men, average age 49.3 years), the other by 10 sonophoresis (14 women and 17 men, average age 45.1 years), both having in addition individual physical training (corrective medical exercises) for each patient. The difference in efficiency regarding both procedures were observed on the basis of objective measurable parameters (abduction, anteflexion, retroflexion, outer and inner rotation, the distance between vertebrae prominens and styloid radius) as well as in view of anamnestic terms (pain both at rest and in motion) recorded before the treatment started and after the application of 10 therapeutic procedures. The statistics results of data processing showed significant difference in efficiency, regarding the objective parameters--sonophoresis is more efficient (retroflexion--p < 0.05). Nevertheless, sonophoresis (diclofenac gel) proved much more efficient in reducing pain at rest (p < 0.01) and in motion (p < 0.05).