Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) for coccydynia: a prospective study of 14 patients

Abstract

Background: Coccydynia is defined as pain in the coccyx. We investigated the effect of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) in the management of coccydynia. Methods: In this prospective study, patients (≥18 y) diagnosed with coccydynia at a sports clinic located in Thessaloniki, Greece were eligible for rESWT treatment, when they reported a visual analogue scale (VAS) pain level ≥6. Treatment sessions were once weekly, and ended when VAS pain levels decreased to ≤3. Recurrence rates were documented at 3-months and 12-months follow-up. Results: Fourteen patients were treated using rESWT. The mean age and symptom duration of our cohort was 33.6±7.9 (range: 20-45) years and 9.4±8.5 (range: 3-36) months respectively. The mean number of treatment sessions per patient was 6.4±1.6 (range: 4-8). The mean device pressure, frequency, and number of pulses was 1.2±0.1 (range: 1-1.4) bar, 5.0±0.1 (range: 5-6) Hz, and 2082±74.8 (range: 2000-2300) pulses respectively. Treatment alleviated pain in all patients, and no recurrence of symptoms was reported during follow-up. There was a positive correlation between symptom duration and the number of treatment sessions (r=0.701, P=0.005). Pairwise comparison highlighted significant reductions in VAS pain levels between each stage of treatment (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study affirms the safety and efficacy of rESWT in managing coccydynia.