Transcutaneous Application of Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment for Shoulder Pain

We report a retrospective audit of transcutaneous pulsed radiofrequency treatment therapy (TCPRFT) for shoulder pain over a 4‐year period. Methods: Electronic and manual case review revealed that TCPRFT had been performed on 13 patients, with 15 painful shoulders, using a single treatment session between 2006 and 2010 in an outpatient setting. Results: Of the 15 shoulders treated, 10 (two‐thirds) had pain relief for over 3 months with an average pain score reduction of 6.1 of 10 and an average duration of pain relief of 395 days. Two experienced pain relief of < 3 months with an average reduction in pain score of 4.3 of 10 and an average duration of effect of 11 days. Three cases experienced no pain relief from the treatment. Summary: These results suggest TCPRFT may provide clinically useful pain relief and be another treatment modality for shoulder pain. Our findings justifies further research, and we are proceeding with a double‐blind placebo randomized controlled studies to determine the efficacy of TCPRFT in chronic shoulder pain.