earticle

영어

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a musculoskeletal disorder characterized by progressive loss of articular cartilage; the main symptom of OA is pain, and in addition, stiffness, edema, and movement disorders occur. The prevalence of OA is increasing worldwide, and it is estimated that 9.6% of men and 18.0% of women over 60 years of age suffer from OA. It is also expected to continue to increase due to aging and weight gain. The extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment that penetrates tissues with high-amplitude sound waves generated by high-voltage condenser spark discharges, producing several beneficial effects such as anti-inflammation, pain relief, cell proliferation and angiogenesis, etc. This literature review was conducted to provide more specific clinical evidence for application of ESWT for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) recovery by investigating various ESWT protocols and outcome measures. The databases of PubMed, PEDro, Google Scholar and Cochrane were searched using combinations of the following terms: osteoarthritis AND extracorporeal shockwave therapy. 9 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the inclusion criteria were included in this literature review and extracted data included sample size, sample characteristics, ESWT protocol, control treatment and outcome measurement. This literature review suggests that ESWT is beneficial in improving pain and function in patients with KOA.