The effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in the treatment of burn scars: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Current scientific evidence on the effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) as adjunctive treatment for burn scars is scarce. However preliminary evidence, indicates it might prove a useful tool.

Materials and methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted from February 2017 to February 2019. Patients with burn scars were divided into two groups with twenty patients per group. The control group received the standard treatment for burn scars. The ESWT group received the standard treatment and treatment of burn scars with ESWT 512 impulses of 0.15mJ/mm² in each session, twice per week for 4 weeks. We assessed the appearance of scar with the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), pruritus and pain with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before the start of the treatment and at 2 weeks and 5 months after the treatment.

Results: Both groups showed improvements in all variables through the study. However, these improvements were only statistically significant for the VSS at the 6th month for the control group and VSS and VAS pain and pruritus for the ESWT group. Nonetheless the results failed to show statistically significant differences between the ESWT and the control group neither at two weeks after treatment nor at 5 months after treatment.

Conclusion: Our study questions the relevance of ESWT as adjunctive treatment for burn scars as far as outward appearance, pain and pruritus as end-results are concern. Nonetheless, further studies are required to accurately assess the potential benefits of ESWT as an adjunctive treatment for burn scars.

Keywords: Burn scar; Burns; Extracorporeal shock wave therapy; Pain; Pruritus; Shock waves.