SynthesisJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2023
Efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 632 patients.
Synthesis in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07646132 (Effects of Two Dosing Regimens of Focal Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain), which is not on this 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.
Effects of Two Dosing Regimens of Focal Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with conventional physical therapy for chronic low back pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Pooled it
- Ultrasound-guided percutaneous lavage for the treatment of rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the treatment of low back pain: a systematic review.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Comparison of Outcomes From Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Combined With Physical Therapy Versus Infrared Therapy Combined With Physical Therapy Among Patients With Myofascial Low Back Pain.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Trial
- Effect of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy combined with evidence-based physical therapy for adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: A randomized controlled trial.Saudi medical journal · 2025Trial
- Neuroimmune Phenotyping as the Next Frontier in Chronic Pain Medicine for Musculoskeletal Back Pain.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Narrative review: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for pain management in musculoskeletal rehabilitation: Mechanisms, clinical applications, and safety.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Review
- Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for zoster-associated pain: A retrospective analysis based on spinal musculoskeletal imbalance.Medicine · 2026Article
- [Shockwave therapy for low back pain].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Risk-Stratified Monitoring After Image-Guided Intradiscal Procedures: A Narrative Review And Safety Framework for Interventional Pain Practice.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Pain Management - an In-Depth Narrative Review.Orthopedic reviews · 2026Article
- Recent Advances in Shockwave Therapy for Musculoskeletal and Soft-Tissue Disorders.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The State of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Myofascial Pain Syndrome-A Scoping Review and a Call for Standardized Protocols.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Ultrastructural insights into early myoblast differentiation induced by shockwave stimulation.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- The Use and Benefits of Focused Shockwaves for the Diagnosis of Myofascial Pain Syndrome by Examining Myofascial Trigger Points in Low Back Pain.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Physiotherapeutic and non-conventional approaches in patients with chronic low-back pain: a level I Bayesian network meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The effect of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy on pain in patients with various tendinopathies: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundExtracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been widely used for pain control in musculoskeletal disorders. Whether ESWT can relieve chronic low back pain (CLBP) and improve lumbar function is still unclear. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of relevant studies to comprehensively analyse and determine the efficacy and safety of ESWT for chronic low back pain.
methodsFour databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on ESWT for CLBP. The quality of the included studies was evaluated according to Cochrane systematic review criteria, relevant data were extracted, and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. The primary outcomes were pain intensity, disability status, and mental health. The data were expressed as standardized mean differences (SMD) or weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I
resultsTwelve RCTs involving 632 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The ESWT group reported significantly more pain relief than the control group at 4 weeks (WMD = - 1.04; 95% CI = - 1.44 to - 0.65; P < 0.001) and 12 weeks (WMD = - 0.85; 95% CI = - 1.30 to - 0.41; P < 0.001). Regarding the dysfunction index, ESWT led to significant improvement in lumbar dysfunction compared with the control group at 4 weeks (WMD = - 4.22; 95% CI = - 7.55 to - 0.89; P < 0.001) and 12 weeks (WMD = - 4.51; 95% CI = - 8.58 to - 0.44; P = 0.03). For mental health, there was no significant difference between the ESWT group and the control group after 4 weeks of intervention (SMD = 1.17; 95% CI = - 0.10 to 2.45; P = 0.07).
conclusionThis systematic review and meta-analysis found that ESWT provided better pain relief and improved lumbar dysfunction compared with the other interventions included, and no serious adverse effects were found. There was no significant effect of ESWT on the mental health of patients, but we hope to obtain more RCTs for further analysis in the future. Based on the pooled results, we suggest that ESWT is effective and safe for treating chronic low back pain.
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Registered trials
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.