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At 4-month follow-up, eccentric loading and low-energy SWT showed comparable results. The wait-and-see strategy was ineffective for the management of chronic recalcitrant tendinopathy of the main body of the Achilles tendon.

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The development of the medial clavicular epiphysis and its fusion with the clavicular shaft have been a subject of medical research since the second decade of this century. Computed tomography provides the imaging modality of choice in analyzing the maturation process of the sternal end of the clavicle. In a retrospective study, we analyzed normal development in 380 individuals under the age of 30 years. The appearance of an epiphyseal ossification center occurred between ages 11 and 22 years. Partial union was found from age 16 until age 26 years. Complete union was first noted at age 22 years and in 100 % of the sample at age 27 years. Based on these data, age-related standardized age distributions and 95 % reference intervals were calculated. Compared to the experience recorded in the relevant literature, there are several landmarks that show no significant change between different ethnic groups and different periods of publication; these are the onset of ossification, the time span of partial union, and the appearance of complete union. Despite the relatively long time spans of the maturation stages, bone age estimation based on the study of the development of the medial clavicular epiphysis may be a useful tool in forensic age identification in living individuals, especially if the age of the subject is about the end of the second or the beginning of the third decade of life (e. g. in determining the applicability of adult or juvenile penal systems). Another possible use is in identifying human remains whose age is estimated at under 30 years.

The aim of this prospective single-blind pilot study was to explore the pain-alleviating effect of low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in painful heel associated with inferior calcaneal spurs. Thirty patients who suffered from persistent symptoms for more than 12 months qualified for low-energy ESWT and were assigned at random to two groups, real or simulated ESWT. Before beginning the treatment, any other therapy was stopped for a period of 6 weeks. The shock waves were applied by a experimental device allowing exact localization through an integrated fluoroscopy unit. Patients were treated three times at weekly intervals. Each time 1000 impulses of 0.06 mJ/mm2 were given around the heel spur. Follow-ups were done after 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks. Patients of the placebo group who did not improve at the 6-week follow-up were then offered ESWT therapy and were checked at 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks after the last treatment. Whereas we noticed no significant differences between the groups before ESWT, there was a significant alleviation of pain and improvement of function at all follow-ups in the treatment group.

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