Riassunto dello studio

104 patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome were randomized to receive an injection of corticosteroid (n=51) or 3 weekly sessions of focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy (f-ESWT; n=53). The primary outcome of interest was pain on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes of interest included the Harris Hip Score (HHS), the Trendelenberg test for function, quality of life on the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) scale, and perceived symptom change. All outcomes were assessed at 3 and 12 months post-operation. F-ESWT demonstrated significant advantages over corticosteroid injection, provided superior pain improvement, function scores, mental health quality of life scores, hip abductor function, and perceived change at 12 months. Similar outcomes were observed at 3 months, suggesting comparable outcome improvement in the early phase with superior long-term efficacy with f-ESWT.