Comparative Study of Therapeutic Ultrasound and Copaiba Oil Phonophoresis Therapies for Shoulder Tendinitis

Shoulder tendinitis is characterized by inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons, resulting in pain, instability, and limitation of shoulder movements. The injury can be caused by stress, excess movements in daily activities or excessive load on the muscles. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of shoulder tendinitis treatment using therapeutic ultrasound associated with the Copaiba oil incorporated into the coupler gel. The study assessed 30 patients divided into groups: TUS–conventional ultrasound and CP–ultrasound with 10% Copaiba oil gel. Ultrasound parameters: 1 MHz acoustic frequency, 0.5 W/cm2 intensity, 100 Hz repetition rate, 20% duty cycle, and 3.5 cm2 irradiation area. Ultrasound was applied for 4 min each session, with 12 sessions treatment. The treatment was evaluated by the parameters: quality-of-life, pain intensity, muscle strength (abduction and flexion), and the amplitude of the joint movement of the shoulder (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, medial and lateral rotations). The treatment evaluation was made by introducing the evolution score index, which compare the values measured post-treatment with the pre-treatment. The ANOVA and Student tests were used for intra and intergroup statistical analysis, respectively, with a significance level of α < 0.05. Results show that the group of phonophoresis with Copaiba oil gel presented an improvement in functional capacity, with pain reduction, increase in muscle strength and in joint movement amplitude, when compared with therapeutic ultrasound (p < 0.05). Concluding, the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of ultrasound can be enhanced by phonophoresis using gel with Copaiba oil.