Trial reportBritish medical bulletin2025
Radial ESWT combined with a specific rehabilitation program (rESWT+RP) is more effective than sham rESWT+RP for acute hamstring muscle complex injury type 3b: a randomized, controlled trial.
Trial report in British medical bulletin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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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
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- [Muscle injuries in sport : High clinical relevance and diagnostic challenges].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 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
- Rapsyn Homolog RPY-1 Modulates Locomotor Responses ofBiomedicines · 2026Article
- Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy modulates hamstring stiffness and flexibility in young males with hamstring tightness: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the simplified Chinese version of the functional assessment scale for acute hamstring injuries (FASH) questionnaire.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionAcute type 3b injuries of the hamstring muscle complex (HMC) are prevalent in sports, often lead to prolonged recovery, and demonstrate a high recurrence. Conservative rehabilitation is standard, and adjunct therapies such as radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) may offer additional benefits. SOURCES OF DATA: This randomized controlled trial, with blinding of patients and assessors, included 36 semi-professional athletes with ultrasound-confirmed acute type 3b HMC injuries. Participants received either real or sham rESWT in combination with an 8-week structured rehabilitation program. The primary outcome was time to return to sport; secondary outcomes included post-treatment muscle strength, patient satisfaction, and re-injury rate. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: Progressive rehabilitation is effective for muscle injuries. rESWT is a safe, non-invasive modality with high therapeutic potential in musculoskeletal conditions. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: Questions remain regarding the ideal rESWT protocol for acute muscle injuries, including optimal dosing, frequency, and timing relative to injury onset. GROWING POINTS: The addition of rESWT resulted in a statistically significant reduction in return-to-sport time [25.4 ± 3.5 (mean ± SD) days with rESWT vs 28.3 ± 4.5 days with sham rESWT; P = .037]. In elite and semi-professional athletes, even modest reductions in downtime can carry meaningful performance and economic benefits. Furthermore, only the rESWT group avoided strength deficits in the previously injured leg, suggesting improved functional recovery. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Future studies should explore the comparative effectiveness of individualized versus standardized rESWT protocols and investigate its broader applicability across sports disciplines and levels of play.
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