Introduction: Capacitive and resistive electric transfer (radiofrequency diathermy or short wave diathermy), can improve quality of life in people with some of the degenerative orthopaedics pathologies. Shoulder impingement syndrome is the most common pathology of the shoulder. Standard therapy protocol puts conservative treatment ahead of operative and supports therapeutic exercise. Purpose: To find out if the combination of capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy and therapeutic exercise is more beneficial in improving range of motion, function and decreasing pain, than just therapeutic exercise in subjects with shoulder impingement syndrome. Methods: 47 adult subjects were sorted into Group 1, that received capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy and therapeutic exercise, or Group 2, that received just therapeutic exercise. Therapies took place 3 times a week, 3 weeks. Both performed exercise therapy every day at home. Measurements were taken before and after the treatment. We used the Visual analogue scale, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and goniometry. Results: The effects of capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy on pain decrease, considering Visual Analogue Scale brought improvement in Group 1 for 3 points, and in Group 2 for 2 points (p < 0.05). We discovered changes in mean of differences »Shoulder pain and disability index - Pain« in Group 1 for 18.4 % and in Group 2 for 12.8 % (p < 0.05). For improvement of the funciton of the shoulder, we found statistically significant differences in »Shoulder pain and disability index - Disability« in Group 1 for 17.5 % and in Group 2 for 10 % (p < 0.001). The general Shoulder pain and disability index showed improvement in Group 1 for 17.2 % and in Group 2 for 11.8 %. The measuremnts of the range of motion did not show statistically significant differences in any of the movements of the shoulder. Discussion and conclusion: Capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy can have a positive contribution to standard exercise therapy on decrease of pain and improvement of the function of the shoulder in subjects with shoulder impingement. We cannot state that it also has effects on the shoulder range of motion.
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