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. 2018 Sep 24:23:81.
doi: 10.4103/jrms.JRMS_681_17. eCollection 2018.

Effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on improving burn scar in patients with burnt extremities in Isfahan, Iran

Parisa Taheri  1 , Saeid Khosrawi  1 , Mahsa Mazaheri  1 , Mehrdad Adib Parsa  2 , Arghavan Mokhtarian  1
Affiliations

Effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on improving burn scar in patients with burnt extremities in Isfahan, Iran

Parisa Taheri et al. J Res Med Sci. .

Abstract

Background: Pathologic scarring is a common problem after burn injury that has functional and esthetic limitations. Conservative and surgical treatments available for these scars are not always satisfactory. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a noninvasive modality that has proven positive effects on burn scars and wound healing in few studies. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ESWT on improving burn scar in extremities.

Materials and methods: This study was a prospective quasi-experimental on burn patients with burn scar in their extremities that underwent ESWT sessions once a week for 6 weeks. For evaluating pain and itching, visual analog scale (VAS) and for scar appearance, Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) were used. These scales were measured and compared at the beginning of the treatment, at the end of the treatment, and 1 and 3 months after the end of the intervention.

Results: In this study, 17 patients were treated with ESWT with a mean age of 37.94 ± 7.25 years that 47.1% of them were male. The mean of VAS score for pain and itching and VSS score were decreased significantly after the treatment and during follow-ups (All P < 0.001).

Conclusion: ESWT can improve the pain, itching, and appearance of the burn scar in human extremities in burn patients.

Keywords: Burn scar; extracorporeal shock wave therapy; extremity.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The scar of a female patient who underwent extracorporeal shock wave therapy is shown at the beginning (number 1), after 6 sessions (number 2), 1 month (number 3), and 3 months (number 4) after the treatment
Figure 2
Figure 2
The burn scar of a patient who underwent extracorporeal shock wave therapy in this study is shown at the beginning (number 1), 6 weeks (number 2), 1 month (number 3), and 3 months (number 4) after the treatment
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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