Downloaded from http://bjsm.bmj.com/ on February 8, 2018 - Published by group.bmj.com Review A systematic review of shockwave therapies in soft tissue conditions: focusing on the evidence Cathy Speed Cambridge Centre for Health ABSTRACT other tissues.2 Many of the physical effects are and Performance, Vision Park, Background ‘Shock wave’ therapies are now considered to be dependent on the energy delivered Histon, Cambridge, UK extensively used in the treatment of musculoskeletal to a focal area. The concentrated SW energy per 2 Correspondence to injuries. This systematic review summarises the evidence unit area, the energy flux density,(EFD, in mJ/mm ), Dr Cathy Speed, base for the use of these modalities. is a term used to reflect the flow of SW energy in a Rheumatology, Sport & Methods A thorough search of the literature was perpendicular direction to the direction of propaga- Exercise Medicine, Cambridge performed to identify studies of adequate quality to tion and is taken as one of the most important Centre for Health and ‘ ’ 3 Performance, Conqueror assess the evidence base for shockwave therapies on descriptive parameters of SW dosage . There House, Vision Park, pain in specific soft tissue injuries. Both focused remains no consensus as to the definition of ‘high Cambridge CB24 9ZR, UK; extracorporeal shockwave therapy (F-ESWT) and radial and ‘low’ energy ESWT, but as a guideline, low-
[email protected] pulse therapy (RPT) were examined. energy ESWT is EFD≤0.12 mJ/mm2, and high fi 2 4 Accepted 25 June 2013 Results 23 appropriate studies were identi ed. There is energy is >0.12 mJ/mm .