Effectiveness of Pulse Electromagnetic Field Therapy in Patients With Subacromial Impingement Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Sham Controlled Study

To evaluate the 3-month effects of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) in the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS).Planned analysis of a randomized controlled trial with 4- and 12-week follow-ups.Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic, treatment unit.Of the 250 individuals screened for eligibility, participants with a diagnosis of SIS (N=80) were randomized to intervention or control groups.The first group received PEMF + exercise and the second group received sham PEMF + exercise 5 days a week for a total of 20 sessions.Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Constant Murley Score (CMS), Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Short Form-36 (SF-36) Quality of Life Questionnaire, and shoulder muscle strength measurement with an isokinetic dynamometer. Evaluations were performed before treatment (T0), after treatment (T1), and 12th week (T2).Evaluation at T1 and T2 showed improvement in most parameters in both groups compared with baseline. In the comparison between the 2 groups at T1 and T2, more improvement was found in the PEMF group in most parameters.In our study, PEMF was found to be superior to sham PEMF in terms of pain, ROM, functionality, and quality of life at the first and third months.