Abstract

The review article published in the previous issue of The Polish Journal of Physiotherapy added the most recent findings to the analysis of focused and radial shockwaves applied to treat pseudarthrosis, tendinosis calcarea, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, tendinitis and inflammation of muscle attachments, etc., which was published three years earlier. Considering that the range of shockwave application in orthopaedics and physiotherapy is constantly broadening, this review examines shockwaves with respect to their effect on patients with Peyronie’s disease, femoral head necrosis, soft tissue defects and other disease entities. This article aims to extend the two earlier reviews by adding the omitted applications and thereby to make the list of indications for shockwave therapy more comprehensive. Except for single instances, this review concentrates on presenting reports where shockwave therapy was used to treat lesions that patients frequently report as requiring medical intervention as well as representing the most frequent indications for this modality.

Key words:

focused shockwave, radial shockwave, physiotherapy