r-ESWT in Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis

Effects of Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (r-ESWT) on Clinical Variables and Isokinetic Performance in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

This study aims to compare the efficacy of r-ESWT treatment with sham-ESWT on pain, walking speed, physical function, and isokinetic muscle strength in knee osteoarthritis.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been increasingly used to help relieve pain and to remedy musculoskeletal disorders in recent years. ESWT seems to be an effective treatment modality many different musculoskeletal conditions, including rotator cuff tendinopathies, calcifying tendinopathy of the shoulder, lateral epicondylitis, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, patellar tendinopathy, achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and bone disorders. ESWT seems to have chondroprotective, anti-inflammatory, neovascularization, anti-apoptotic, and tissue regeneration effect on tissues which could be relevant in the treatment of OA.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Knee OA according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnostic criteria with Kellgren - Lawrence (K-L) grade 2 or 3.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with secondary OA,
• severe chronic illness,
• poor general health status (heart failure, chronic bronchitis, etc.),
• chronic inflammatory diseases,
• knee replacement surgery,
• prior malignancy