The Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Patients With Coccydynia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The patients received 2000 shots of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the coccyx area per session for four sessions (one session a week for 4 consecutive weeks). The frequency used was 5 Hz and the pressure was 3-4 bar.

The shortwave diathermy (SWD) was the inductive mode with a coil at a frequency of approximately 27.12 MHz. The shortwave diathermy applicator was placed over the sacrococcygeal area. The treatment duration was 20 minutes. After completing the SWD treatments, the patients received the interferential current (IFC) treatment. IFC provides deeper electrical stimulation. The electrical current was applied to the gluteal area using four electrodes from 2 channels of the stimulator. The four electrodes were set on the gluteal area. The carrier frequency, typically 4000 Hz and 4100 Hz and designed to interfere with each other, resulted in a beat frequency of 100 Hz within the treated area. The treatment duration was 20 minutes. The protocol was set as 3 times per week for a period of 4 weeks.