| Abstract |
Objectives : The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a topical herbal gel application for the treatment of chronic shoulder pain.
Methods : We compared the effects of Dapureo gel, which contains several herbal medicines known to improve shoulder pain, with those of placebo gel by double-blind method. 30 participants were randomized - 15 were assigned to treatment group and the other 15 were assigned to control group. Either Dapureo gel(treatment group) or placebo gel(control group) was applied topically by themselves, once a day for 2 weeks. Primary outcome was daily visual analogue scale(VAS) changes for shoulder pain which was self-reported for 2 weeks. Secondary outcome was the difference in the total shoulder pain and disability index(SPADI) which was measured at a baseline and 2 weeks after the treatment.
Results : Primary outcome: Subjects of treatment group showed statistically significant improvement in VAS compared to control subjects continuously from the second day(p<0.05) to the fifteenth day(p<0.001). The treatment group showed 31% of pain reduction on the fifteenth day, while the control group showed only 7%. Secondary outcome: In terms of SPADI changes, the treatment group showed improvement compared to the control group(p<0.01).
Conclusions : These results suggest that the topical herbal gel treatment used in this study is effective in improving chronic shoulder pain. |
