Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for Achilles tendinopathy 2022 (systematic review)

Sports Medicine - Open systematic review of randomised controlled trials of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for mid-portion and insertional Achilles tendinopathy. For mid-portion disease, moderate-quality evidence supported a benefit of ESWT added to standard care, with a pooled improvement on the VISA-A score of about 9 points and the best results from combining ESWT with eccentric loading rather than using it alone. For insertional Achilles tendinopathy the evidence was very low quality and did not support a benefit. One of the better-evidenced passive adjuncts for mid-portion tendinopathy specifically, though still an adjunct to loading.