School of Medicine Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2025
Abstract
Background: Recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction can be challenging. While standard rehabilitation helps restore knee function, many patients still face a slow or incomplete recovery. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has recently gained attention as a potential way to speed up healing and improve outcomes when added to traditional rehab.
Aim: To explore whether combining ESWT with standard postoperative rehabilitation truly leads to better recovery compared with rehab alone.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, evaluating participant status following ACL reconstruction with standard rehabilitation and without augmented ESWT. This meta-analysis included six studies (five randomized controlled trials, one non-randomized clinical study). The outcome measures were the Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee score, visual analog score, and KT-1000 measurements. To compare the control and intervention groups, the weighted mean differences were calculated along with the 95% confidence intervals. The heterogeneity of the studies and publication bias were analyzed.
Results: ESWT modestly improved Lysholm scores (weighted mean difference: 3.72; 95% confidence interval: -0.27 to 7.71) with high heterogeneity (I 2: 96%, P < 0.001) when compared with standard rehabilitation. Focused ESWT showed greater benefits compared with radial ESWT. No significant differences were found in the International Knee Documentation Committee scores, visual analog score, or KT-1000 measurements. Substantial variability and publication bias were noted.
Conclusion: ESWT improved Lysholm scores but did not show other significant benefits. Due to the limited evidence, further standardized, placebo-controlled trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness in ACL reconstruction.
Recommended Citation
Salimi, M., Keshtkar, A., Mosalamiaghili, S., Lowe, W., Ahmad, A., & Sharafatvaziri, A. (2025). Evaluating the efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in postoperative rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A meta-analysis. World journal of orthopedics, 16(12), 110324. https://doi.org/10.5312/wjo.v16.i12.110324
Creative Commons License
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Publication Title
World journal of orthopedics
DOI
10.5312/wjo.v16.i12.110324
Academic Level
faculty
Mentor/PI Department
Surgery
Comments
©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
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