Trial reportInternational orthopaedics2020
A randomized controlled trial: comparing extracorporeal shock wave therapy versus local corticosteroid injection for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Trial report in International orthopaedics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on nerve conduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Conservative Treatment According to Severity and Systemic Disease in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Extracorporeal shock wave therapy versus local corticosteroid injection for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: a meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2020Pooled it
- Efficacy of focused shockwave therapy in patients with moderate-to-severe carpal tunnel syndrome: a preliminary study.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2024Trial
- Clinical and electrophysiological efficacy of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome: a placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2023Trial
- The effect of radial shockwave on the median nerve pathway in patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome : A randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2021Trial
- Systematic mapping review of applications of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in hand surgery.JPRAS open · 2026Review
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Pain Management - an In-Depth Narrative Review.Orthopedic reviews · 2026Article
- State of shock - a systematic review of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in hand surgery.GMS Interdisciplinary plastic and reconstructive surgery DGPW · 2025Review
- Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: An Updated Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- ESWT Diminishes Axonal Regeneration following Repair of the Rat Median Nerve with Muscle-In-Vein Conduits but Not after Autologous Nerve Grafting.Biomedicines · 2022Article
- Carpal tunnel syndrome conservative treatment: a literature review.Postepy psychiatrii neurologii · 2022Review
- The top 50 most cited articles in carpal tunnel syndrome research: A bibliometrics study.Medicine · 2022Article
- Application of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in nervous system diseases: A review.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Review
- Answer to Letter to the Editor of Chen concerning "A randomized controlled trial: comparing extracorporeal shock wave therapy versus local corticosteroid injection for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome".International orthopaedics · 2021Article
- Letter to the editor regarding "A randomized controlled trial: comparing extracorporeal shock wave therapy versus local corticosteroid injection for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome".Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeExtracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been reported as a new therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, few studies have compared ESWT with the local corticosteroid injection (LCI).
methodsIn this study, a randomized controlled trial comparing 30 patients with ESWT and 25 patients treated with LCI was conducted. The clinical outcomes were obtained with tests including the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and paresthesia, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BQ), and a nerve conduction study, before the study started and at three, nine, and 12 weeks after the start of the treatment.
resultsSignificantly greater improvement in the VAS and BQ scores was noted for the ESWT group than for the LCI group (P < 0.05). For the nerve conduction study, there was a significant improvement in the median nerve sensory nerve action potential distal latency at the nine and 12-week follow-ups for the ESWT group.
conclusionsESWT is a useful noninvasive short-term treatment for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome and elicits a better recovery than LCI does, but more research is needed to test the clinical outcomes of ESWT.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.