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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 May 4;25(1):357.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-024-07445-7.

Effect of extracorporeal shockwave therapy for rotator cuff tendinopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Xiali Xue #  1 , Qingfa Song #  2 , Xinwei Yang #  3 , Amila Kuati  4 , Hao Fu  2 , Yulei Liu  5 , Guoqing Cui  6   7   8
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of extracorporeal shockwave therapy for rotator cuff tendinopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Xiali Xue et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) is a widespread musculoskeletal disorder and a primary cause of shoulder pain and limited function. The resulting pain and limited functionality have a detrimental impact on the overall quality of life. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for RCT.

Methods: The literature search was conducted on the following databases from inception to February 20, 2024: PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were checked to identify the potential studies exploring the effect of ESWT for the treatment of Rotator cuff tendinopathy (Calcification or non-calcification), control group for sham, other treatments (including placebo), without restriction of date, language. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data, evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies, and performed meta-analysis using RevMan 5.3 software.

Results: A total of 16 RCTs with 1093 patients were included. The results showed that compared with the control group, ESWT for pain score Visual Analogue Scale/Score (VAS) (SMD = -1.95, 95% CI -2.47, -1.41, P < 0.00001), function score Constant-Murley score (CMS) (SMD = 1.30, 95% CI 0.67, 1.92, P < 0.00001), University of California Los Angeles score (UCLA) (SMD = 2.69, 95% CI 1.64, 3.74, P < 0.00001), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons form (ASES) (SMD = 1.29, 95% CI 0.93, 1.65, P < 0.00001), Range of motion (ROM) External rotation (SMD = 1.00, 95% CI 0.29, 1.72, P = 0.02), Total effective rate (TER) (OR = 3.64, 95% CI 1.85, 7.14, P = 0.0002), the differences in the above results were statistically significant. But ROM-Abduction (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI -0.22, 1.66, P = 0.13), the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Currently limited evidence suggests that, compared with the control group, ESWT can provide better pain relief, functional recovery, and maintenance of function in patients with RCT.

Keywords: ESWT; Extracorporeal shock wave therapy; Meta-analysis; Rehabilitation; Rotator cuff tendinopathy; Shoulder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of the study selection process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of VAS on shoulder pain
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of CMS on shoulder function
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot of UCLA on shoulder function
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Forest plot of ROM on shoulder function
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Forest plot of ASES on shoulder function
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Forest plot of TER on shoulder function
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Subgroup by strength–Forest plot of VAS on shoulder pain
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Subgroup by strength–Forest plot of CMS on shoulder function
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Subgroup by type–Forest plot of VAS on shoulder pain
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Subgroup by type–Forest plot of CMS on shoulder function
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
Funnel plot for comparison of VAS between the two groups
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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