Does shockwave therapy work on knees?

The success rate of shockwave therapy for knee pain ranges from 65 to 85%, depending on the condition being treated. For patients with chronic knee pain who haven't responded to other treatments, shockwave therapy can provide long-term relief and restore mobility. While the therapeutic activity itself could improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, objective improvements were only seen after ESWT. The height of the suprapatellar effusion decreased after ESWT and the effect was maintained after 1 month.

Our results suggest that ESWT may be effective in reducing suprapatellar effusion and improving symptoms of mild knee osteoarthritis. However, studies with a larger sample size are required. Shockwave therapy is a safe and effective form of treatment in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy, whose results are considerably better than those of the conservative measures we currently use to treat patellar tendinopathy. Often, the patient cannot successfully complete physiotherapy and, therefore, undertake rehabilitation.

The Shockwave treatment reduces the symptoms of the injury and often reduces pain with 2 or 3 treatments, which in turn relieves stress and the patient can complete a successful rehabilitation.