Efeito da eletrólise percutânea intratisular na dor e função em tendinopatias: revisão sistemática com meta-análise

Abstract

Introduction: Tendinopathy is a condition characterized by pain, edema and loss of functionality. Conservative treatment is the first therapeutic option for managing pain and function, including manual therapy, cryotherapy, ultrasound and also percutaneous intratissue electrolysis (PE). PE is a minimally invasive technique that produces a non thermal electrolytic ablation, therefore stimulating a controlled inflammatory response, thus enabling the activation of cellular mechanisms directly related to phagocytosis and tissue repair. Objective: To perform a systematic review with meta-analysis to investigate the effect of PE on pain and function outcomes in tendinopathy. Methodology: A systematic review was carried out using randomized clinical trials (RCTs) carried out with human beings diagnosed with tendinopathy and who used PE as a form of treatment. Searches were performed in the following databases PubMed, PEDro, Central, CINAHL, BVS and Embase. Two independent reviewers were responsible for screening the articles and extracting data from the studies. Results: Seven studies were selected for quantitative analysis. When analyzing the pain outcome, a statistically significant difference was observed in favor of the PE group (MD= -1.35; 95%CI= -1.84 to -0.86 points). Regarding functionality, no significant difference was observed between groups (SMD= 0.28; CI95%= -0.28 to 0.84). Conclusion: Therefore, the present study shows that the groups that used PE accompanied by other interventions showed an average difference of -1.35 points between the groups, but no improvement was observed in the function of patients with tendinopathy. Based on the evaluation of the most recent RCTs, it was not possible to establish a definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of the use of PE in the treatment of tendinopathies.