Knee osteoarthritis is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (RECTUB) is as a new effective conservative method.This was a prospective, monocentric, interventional, non-randomized, controlled, clinical study that included a total of 50 patients divided into two groups. The study group was treated with RECTUB and kinesitherapy, and the control group was treated with conventional physical therapy and kinesitherapy. The patients' progress was monitored on the Numeric scale of pain and the WOMAC Index of functional ability before the treatment started; then immediately after its completion, and finally 3 months afterwards.It was shown that patients from the study and control groups did not differ significantly in terms of pain intensity at the treatment beginning and at their first control, while the difference in pain intensity between the two groups at their second control was significantly different in favor of the study group. The total value and the values of the three subscales on the WOMAC index were insignificantly different between the two groups before the treatment from a statistical point of view, with significantly lower values thereof obtained in patients in the study group at the first and second control.The results of this study demonstrate the benefits of using RECTUB as a safe, noninvasive, conservative treatment for knee osteoarthritis with better and longer-lasting effect on reducing pain and improving the functional ability of patients with knee osteoarthritis in contrast to patients treated with conventional physical therapy.

The most common complications of elbow trauma are contractures and neurovascular injuries. The complications can be a result of the initial injury, but they can also be a result of a surgical treatment. In addition to orthopedic treatment of elbow fractures, physical therapy and rehabilitation play a significant role in treatment of posttraumatic contractures. To determine the effects of physical therapy and rehabilitation of posttraumatic elbow contractures in children. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in the University Clinic for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Skopje in the period 01.01.2021 – 01.07.2022. A total of 52 children were included, at the age between 2 and 13 years who had a posttraumatic elbow contracture, limited range of motion, pain and/or limitations in accomplishing daily activities. Depending on the clinical finding, children underwent a relevant physical therapy (kinesitherapy, functional therapy, electrotherapy, thermotherapy, hydrotherapy and magnetotherapy) in duration of three weeks. For assessing the effects of the rehabilitation therapy, the range of motion of the elbow and forearm was examined along with the Flynn’s scale in all children, prior to and after completion of the physical treatment. Applied physical treatment resulted in a significant improvement in all analyzed movements such as: elbow flexion (p=0.00001), elbow extension (p=0.00001), forearm pronation (p=0.00001), forearm supination (p=0.0000) and Flynn’s scale (p=0.0000). After completion of the rehabilitation treatment, excellent results were registered in 41 (85%) children, moderate in 10 (19.23%) and favorable in 1 (1.92%). Timely and adequate application of physical therapy and rehabilitation can significantly improve the final outcome in treatment of posttraumatic elbow contractures in children. A combination of different physical procedures adequately applied and personalized can significantly improve the range of motion of the elbow.