Shockwave Therapy

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is frequently used in equine practice, but little is known about its biological action. OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of ESWT on matrix structure and gene expression levels in normal, physiologically loaded tendinous structures in ponies. METHODS: Six Shetland ponies, free of lameness and with ultrasonographically normal flexor and extensor tendons and suspensory ligaments (SL), were used...

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has recently been introduced as a new therapy for tendon injuries in horses, but little is known about the basic mechanism of action of this therapy. OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of ESWT on biochemical parameters and tenocyte metabolism of normal tendinous structures in ponies. METHODS: Six Shetland ponies, free of lameness and with ultrasonographically normal flexor and extensor tendons and suspensory ligaments (SL), were used...

Stress fractures are common painful conditions in athletes, usually associated to biomechanical overloads. Low risk stress fractures usually respond well to conservative treatments, but up to one third of the athletes may not respond, and evolve into high-risk stress fractures. Surgical stabilization may be the final treatment, but it is a highly invasive procedure with known complications. Shockwave treatments (ESWT), based upon the stimulation of bone turnover, osteoblast stimulation and neovascularization by mechanotransduction, have been successfully used to treat delayed unions and avascular necrosis...

INTRODUCTION: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is broadly used as a non-surgical therapy in various diseases for its pro-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the molecular mechanisms translating tissue exposure to shock waves (SW) in a biological response with potential therapeutic activity are largely unknown. As macrophages take part in both the onset and amplification of the inflammatory response, and well in its resolution, we investigated the effect of SW on their biology...

[Purpose] This study compared the analgesic effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy with those of ultrasound therapy in patients with chronic tennis elbow. [Subjects] Fifty patients with tennis elbow were randomized to receive extracorporeal shock wave therapy or ultrasound therapy. [Methods] The extracorporeal shock wave therapy group received 5 treatments once per week. Meanwhile, the ultrasound group received 10 treatments 3 times per week. Pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale during grip strength evaluation, palpation of the lateral epicondyle, Thomsen test, and chair test...

Chronic Achilles tendinopathy has been described as the most common overuse injury in sports medicine. Several treatment modalities such as activity modification, heel lifts, arch supports, stretching exercises, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and eccentric loading are known as standard treatment mostly without proven evidence. After failed conservative therapy, invasive treatment may be considered. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been successfully used in soft-tissue pathologies like lateral epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, tendinopathy of the shoulder and also in bone and skin disorders...

Application of extracorporeal shockwaves (ESW) to the musculoskeletal system may induce long-term analgesia in the treatment of chronic tendinopathies of the shoulder, heel and elbow. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind this phenomenon are largely unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that long-term analgesia caused by ESW is due to selective loss of nerve fibers in peripheral nerves. To test this hypothesis in vivo, high-energy ESW were applied to the ventral side of the right distal femur of rabbits...

Application of extracorporeal shockwaves to the musculoskeletal system can induce long-term analgesia in the treatment of chronic painful diseases such as calcifying tendonitis of the shoulder, tennis elbow and chronic plantar fasciitis. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are largely unknown. Recently it was shown that application of extracorporeal shockwaves to the distal femur of rabbits can lead to reduced concentration of substance P in the shockwaves' focal zone. In the present study we investigated the impact of extracorporeal shockwaves on the production of substance P within dorsal root ganglia in vivo...

BACKGROUND: Achilles tendinopathy is a pathological state resulting from repetitive loading or stress on the tendon. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is hypothesized to be an effective alternative intervention to surgery when other conservative therapies fail. This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of ESWT in the treatment of insertional and noninsertional Achilles tendinopathies. METHODS: Articles were electronically searched from the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus using a comprehensive search strategy...

BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence for the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) when treating lower limb tendinopathies including greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), patellar tendinopathy (PT), and Achilles tendinopathy (AT). PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of ESWT for lower limb tendinopathies. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed (Medline), Embase, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched from inception to February 2013 for studies of any design investigating the effectiveness of ESWT in GTPS, PT, and AT...

PURPOSE: The general consensus that tendinopathy, at least in the chronic stage, is mainly a degenerative condition and inflammation plays a minor role has led to a shift from treatments that target inflammation towards treatment options that promote regeneration. One of these treatments is extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), a physical therapy modality that uses pressure waves to treat tendinopathy. This review was undertaken to give an overview of the literature concerning this treatment, and special attention is given to the differences between focused and radial ESWT...

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of focused shockwave therapy (FSWT) and radial shockwave therapy (RSWT) for treating patellar tendinopathy. METHODS: Patients were randomized into two groups. One group received three sessions of FSWT, and the other group received three sessions of RSWT. Both groups also received an eccentric training programme. Follow-up measurements took place 1, 4, 7 and 14 weeks after the final shockwave treatment...