Extracorporeal shockwave therapy versus sham extracorporeal shockwave therapy for chronic Achilles tendinopathy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chronic Achilles tendinopathy is a persistent and debilitating condition. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is widely used, but its true effectiveness and safety for chronic Achilles tendinopathy remains debated. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of ESWT and sham ESWT for chronic Achilles tendinopathy.

Methods

Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ESWT with sham ESWT in chronic Achilles tendinopathy. Primary outcomes included pain reduction (change in Visual Analog Scale (ΔVAS), minimal clinically important difference (MCID) 1.1/10) and functional

SUBMITTER: Ni T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12786123 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature