Song, Y., Che, X., Wang, Z., Li, M., Zhang, R., Wang, D., & Shi, Q. (2024). Augmentation of rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction using radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT). BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 25(57). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-024-07177-8

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) in enhancing rehabilitation outcomes for patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Seventy-two patients were assigned to receive either standard rehabilitation with rESWT or with sham rESWT, measuring outcomes such as pain, joint function, and mobility. Significant short-term improvements were noted in the rESWT group at 3 and 6 weeks, though no long-term differences were observed at 24 weeks. The findings suggest that rESWT may benefit early ACLR rehabilitation by reducing pain and improving function.

RSWT seems to be an appropriate treatment for chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy, superior to eccentric loading in terms of efficacy. Evidence prompts it to be a reliable alternative to surgical treatment.

Plantar fascia-specific stretching exercises in combination with repetitive radial shock wave treatment (RSWT®) are superior to RSWT® as monotherapy.

RSWT® combined with physical therapy enables better and faster pain reduction, grip strength increase, functional improvement and tendon tear healing, than physical therapy alone.

James P.M. Morgan et al. 
Germany

Application of the multimodal therapy approach, including a protocol with almost daily radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) led to faster recovery time as compared with previously published studies!

Xuejiao Guo¹, Lin Li1,², Zhe Yan¹, Yunze Li¹, Zhiyou Peng¹, Yixin Yang¹, Yanfeng Zhang¹, Christoph Schmitz³, Zhiying Feng¹
_{1Department of Pain Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Yuyao People Hospital of Zhejiang, Ningbo, China; 3Extracorporeal Shock Wave Research Unit, Chair of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany}

Successful treatment of a chronic nonspecific low back pain is a challenge. Should we use manual therapy? Drugs? How about radial extracorporeal shockwaves? In a recent study, Guo et al. tried to find out whether rESWT is more efficient in the management of chronic low back pain than a “drugs only” approach, using an NSAID and a skeletal muscle relaxant. They also searched for evidence if a combination of rESWT with  NSAIDs and skeletal muscle relaxants can represent a superior treatment option, as anecdotal evidence from physicians from Europe and Latin America is pointing at. What was the conclusion and how it may impact your everyday practice? Keep reading and find out.