Evidence mapPaperPMID 40038756Full record

ArticleArthritis research & therapy2025

Does extracorporeal shockwave therapy treat leg length discrepancy? an experimental animal study.

Shun-Wun Jhan, Kuan-Ting Wu, Wen-Yi Chou, Jeng-Wei Chen, Ka-Kit Siu, Wen-Chiung Huang, Ching-Jen Wang, Jai-Hong Cheng

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Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Shun-Wun JhanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Kuan-Ting WuDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Wen-Yi ChouDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Jeng-Wei ChenDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Ka-Kit SiuDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Wen-Chiung HuangCenter for Shockwave Medicine and Tissue Engineering, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Ching-Jen WangDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
Jai-Hong ChengCenter for Shockwave Medicine and Tissue Engineering, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan. cjh1106@cgmh.org.tw.

Funding

Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital CMRPG8J1421
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExtracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is widely used to treat musculoskeletal diseases, but its impact on adolescents with unhealed epiphyseal plates is concerning. It remains unclear whether ESWT applied to growth plates promotes or inhibits bone growth. Low energy ESWT does not cause damage of articular cartilage and promotes the growth of articular cartilage. Therefore, the application of ESWT to treat the leg length discrepancy is a possibleoption.

methodsHere, the 96 adolescent rats were used to demonstrate that different levels of ESWT developed different effects on the epiphyseal plate and bone growth. The effects and safety of ESWT on the epiphyseal plate were measured at different energy levels of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mJ/mm² with 800 impulses, 4 Hz at the 7, 13, and 25 weeks.

resultsAdditionally, the treatments promoted the growth and length of the tibia bone as the ESWT application by compared with Sham group. Notably, ESWT stimulated the expression of IL-1β at the 7 week, which then decreased by the 25 week. However, no apoptosis signals and cell death were detected, and there was no tissue damage to the epiphyseal plate. The expression of SOX9, BMP2, and BMP4 was observed in the epiphyseal plate following ESWT, suggesting a role in promoting bone growth.

conclusionOur results suggest that ESWT is a safe therapeutic modality for stimulating bone growth at the epiphyseal plate in adolescents, leading to increased bone length. This approach holds potential for future treatment of patients with leg length discrepancies.

Indexed as

Extracorporeal Shockwave TherapyGrowth PlateLeg Length InequalityAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyTibiaBMP pathwayEpiphyseal growth plateExtracorporeal shockwave therapyLeg length discrepancy

Identifiers

PMID40038756
PMCPMC11877862

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.