SynthesisJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2020
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy versus local corticosteroid injection for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effectiveness of biophysical agents in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome- an umbrella review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of radial extracorporeal shock wave and kinesio taping on pain, quality of life, hand function and ultrasonographic measurement of median nerve cross-sectional area in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.Irish journal of medical science · 2025Trial
- Narrative review: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for pain management in musculoskeletal rehabilitation: Mechanisms, clinical applications, and safety.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Review
- A critical appraisal evaluating the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in coccydynia.International journal for advancing practice · 2025Article
- Penetration Depth and Tissue Interaction of Focused Extracorporeal Shock Waves: An In-vitro Investigation.Cureus · 2025Article
- Long-Term Clinical Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction Following Ultrasound-Guided Hydrodissection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome : Long-Term Outcomes and Satisfaction after Ultrasound-Guided Hydrodissection for CTS.Galen medical journal · 2025Review
- State of shock - a systematic review of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in hand surgery.GMS Interdisciplinary plastic and reconstructive surgery DGPW · 2025Review
- Carpal tunnel syndrome.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2024Review
- 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
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- A prospective cohort study: platelet-rich plasma combined with carpal tunnel release treating carpal tunnel syndrome.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Article
- ESWT Diminishes Axonal Regeneration following Repair of the Rat Median Nerve with Muscle-In-Vein Conduits but Not after Autologous Nerve Grafting.Biomedicines · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) and local corticosteroid injection (LCI) for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and some studies showed that the effect of ESWT was superior to LCI. We performed this meta-analysis to compare the clinical effects across the two therapies.
methodsRelevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ESWT and LCI for the treatment of CTS were searched in electronic database. The Cochrane risk bias tool was used for quality assessment. After data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies, a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Mean differences (MDs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed. The protocol for this systematic review was registered on INPLASY (202080025) and is available in full on the inplasy.com ( https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2020.8.0025 )
resultsA total of 5 RCT studies with 204 patients were included from the electronic database. The meta-analysis results showed that two therapies were not significantly different in terms of visual analog scale (VAS) score (P = 0.65), Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BQ) score (P = 0.14), sensory distal latency (P = 0.66), and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of the sensory nerve (P = 0.06). There were significant differences between the results of motor distal latency (P < 0.0001), compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude (P < 0.00001), and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude (P = 0.004).
conclusionsIn terms of pain relief and function improvement, the effects of ESWT and LCI are not significantly different. In terms of electrophysiological parameters, LCI has a stronger effect on shortening motor distal latency; ESWT is superior to LCI in improving action potential amplitude. ESWT is a noninvasive treatment with fewer complications and greater patient safety. In light of the heterogeneity and limitations, these conclusions require further research for definitive conclusions to be drawn.
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Registered trials
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