Analysis of therapeutic effect of high focused extracorporeal shock wave comprehensive therapy on femoral head bone marrow edema syndrome

Purpose: This study explored the clinical therapeutic effect of high-focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (HF-ESWT) combined with exercise rehabilitation and drug therapy on femoral head bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES). Materials and Methods: This study systematically reviewed and analyzed the clinical data of 43 patients with femoral head bone marrow edema who were treated in our hospital from January 2017 to June 2022. Twenty-three patients received HF-ESWT comprehensive treatment. Twenty patients received general treatment including medication and exercise rehabilitation treatment. The treatment methods for Group B patients were the same as Group A, except for not receiving shock wave therapy. Changes in visual analog scale (VAS), Harris score of the hip, and the edema area of region of interest area (ROIA) on hip magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed before and after treatment. Results: Our research found that patients receiving HF-ESWT had significantly reduced VAS compared with general treatment at 1, 2, and 3 months (P < 0.05). We found that HF-ESWT comprehensive treatment had significantly improved hip Harris score compared with general treatment at 2 and 3 months (P < 0.05). HF-ESWT comprehensive treatment had significantly reduced edema area of ROIA on hip MRI compared with general treatment at 1, 2, and 3 months (P < 0.05). In addition, the healing rate was significantly higher in the HF-ESWT comprehensive treatment group compared with general treatment group (P < 0.05). One of the patients in the group treated with shockwaves developed hip pain that worsened after treatment, three patients developed local skin ecchymosis, and the other patients had no adverse events. Conclusion: HF-ESWT comprehensive treatment significantly reduced hip pain symptoms, quickly shortened the time for femoral head edema to dissipate, and significantly improved hip function for affected limbs with bone marrow edema syndrome. HF-ESWT comprehensive treatment may be an effective therapeutic strategy for HF-BMES. Keywords: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy, Bone marrow edema syndrome, Traditional Chinese medicine, Osteonecrosis of the femoral head