COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRADITIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAMS COMBINED WITH AERION ARTHRON CLASS IV LASER THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH GRADE I AND II SUPRASPINATUS TEARS
Keywords:
Supraspinatus tear, functional exercise, traditional exercise, Class IV laser,, VAS, QuickDASH, shoulder rehabilitation.Abstract
Background: Partial supraspinatus tears commonly cause shoulder pain, weakness and difficulty with
everyday upper-limb activities. Conservative rehabilitation is often advised before surgery, but the type
of exercise used may influence the extent of recovery. Class IV laser therapy may support pain relief
and tissue healing, while functional exercise may improve the way the shoulder is used during real-life
tasks.
Aim: To compare traditional exercises and functional exercises when both are combined with Aerion
Arthron Class IV laser therapy in patients with Grade I and II supraspinatus tears.
Methodology: Sixty participants aged 20–60 years with conservatively managed supraspinatus tears
were divided into two equal groups. Group A received traditional shoulder exercises with Class IV
laser therapy, whereas Group B received functional exercises with the same laser intervention. Pain
and upper-limb disability were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and QuickDASH
before and after treatment. Paired t-tests were used for within-group analysis, and independent t-tests
were used to compare change scores between groups.
Results: Both groups improved significantly. In Group A, VAS decreased from 7.020 ± 0.511 to 4.763
± 0.766, while QuickDASH decreased from 65.741 ± 6.226 to 43.804 ± 6.911. In Group B, VAS
decreased from 7.222 ± 0.585 to 2.812 ± 0.651, and QuickDASH decreased from 69.267 ± 6.536 to
27.829 ± 7.788. Between-group analysis favoured Group B for VAS improvement (mean difference
2.154, p < 0.001) and QuickDASH improvement (mean difference 19.501, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Traditional and functional exercise programmes were both beneficial when combined
with Class IV laser therapy. However, functional exercises produced greater pain relief and functional
recovery, suggesting that task-oriented and kinetic-chain-based training may offer additional clinical
value in conservative rehabilitation of Grade I and II supraspinatus tears.
