Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Chronic Knee Pain: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of chronic knee pain (CKP) in older adults. Medical practitioners often manage CKP using both pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies. However, no studies have specifically focused on extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for treatment of CKP.

The research team intended to explore the effectiveness and safety of ESWT for treatment of CKP.

The study was a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

The study took place at the Affiliated Hongqi Hospital of Mudanjiang Medical University (Mudanjiang, China) and at the People's Hospital of Yan'an (Yan'an, China).

Participants were 72 patients with CKP at the 2 hospitals.

Participants were randomly and equally divided into the intervention group, the ESWT group, and a control group. The intervention group received ESWT, whereas those in the control group received a placebo treatment. Participants in both groups were treated 3 times weekly for a total of 10 wk.

The primary outcome was pain intensity measured using an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS). The secondary outcomes were measured using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and by tracking adverse events. All outcomes were evaluated at baseline and at the end of 5 wk and 10 wk of treatment (ie, postintervention).

At both measured points, the ESWT exhibited greater benefits for patients with CKP, as measured by the scores for pain intensity on the NRS (P < .01) and the WOMAC subscale for pain (P < .01), compared with the placebo treatment. In addition, the ESWT group showed significantly less stiffness and greater improvements in function compared with the control group at the end of week 5 (P < .01) and of week 10 (P < .01). Furthermore, the study found no adverse events for either group.

ESWT demonstrated an effective and safe profile for patients with CKP. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.