Case report demonstrates complete pain resolution and function restoration in a chronic TFCC injury, suggesting SWT's potential.
Degenerative injuries of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) are a common source of chronic ulnar-sided wrist pain, particularly in individuals engaged in repetitive wrist movements. We report the case of a 36-year-old right-hand dominant male surgeon with a chronic central TFCC tear (Palmer class 2C) that was unresponsive to standard conservative treatments. The patient was treated with four weekly sessions of focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy (SWT) to the affected wrist. Following this intervention, he experienced complete resolution of wrist pain and full restoration of function, allowing him to return to unrestricted surgical duties. No adverse effects were observed during treatment. This case suggests that focused SWT may be a promising non-invasive therapeutic option for degenerative TFCC lesions that fail to improve with conventional management.
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Alibrahim et al. (2025) studied this question.
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