Efficacy of Extracorporeal Shockwaves Therapy on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effects of different doses and methods of extracorporeal shock wave treatment (ESWT) on the sciatic nerve regeneration of rat model using unbiased quantitative stereological techniques and to know which method and dose were effective. Methods: Twenty-five Wistar albino rats were used in the experiment. All animals were randomly divided into 5 groups. To the first group (control, n = 5) ESWT and surgery were not applied. To 2nd group (E300∗2, n = 5), twice doses of 300 impulses uESWs (unfocused) were applied. To 3rd group (E500∗2, n = 5), twice doses of 500 impulses uESWs (unfocused) were applied. To 4th group (E300∗2, n = 5), twice doses of 300 impulses of fESWs (focused) were applied. To 5th group (E500∗2, n = 5), twice doses of 500 impulses of fESWs (focused) were applied. Rats were sacrificed and nerve samples analyzed on the 22nd day following the operation. Results: There is a variable increase in the axon numbers among the shockwave treated groups in compare to the control group. The focused groups showed better improvement and the 300-focused group has shown the highest regeneration rate. Conclusion: The authors found that ESWT promotes nerve regeneration, increases the thickness of the myelin sheath and that the most effective result is in the 300 shock wave.

Effect of Botulinum Toxin Injection and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy on Nerve Regeneration in Rats with Experimentally Induced Sciatic Nerve Injury

“…Focused ESWT is generated by the probe, and the shock waves converge to the treatment site, whereas radial ESWT has maximum energy at the probe tip, and the waves are distributed radially into the tissue. Both focused [20,[34][35][36] and radial [37] ESWT are equally effective in promoting nerve regeneration; however, focused ESWT yielded higher benefits in one study [38]. In our study, focused ESWT was used.…”

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in spinal cord injury, early to advance to clinical trials? A systematic review and meta-analysis on animal studies

“…[26][27][28][29] Finally, ESWT has been revealed to improve myelination significantly which then leads to enhancement in axon regeneration, signal transduction and eventually improved neural function. 30,31 The current study is subject to several limitations. First, the number of included studies evaluated was relatively small, and second the applied treatment protocols were different.…”

Use of the Shock Wave Therapy in Basic Research and Clinical Applications—From Bench to Bedsite

“…Since Shock Wave Therapy shows the ability to enhance metabolic activity and increase the proliferation potential of various cells, regenerative properties of SWT have been used to promote peripheral nerve regeneration [77,78]. Li et al [78] showed a post-SWT significant promotion of axonal regrowth and increased myelination expression, where the potential molecular mechanism is related to increased expression of two mechanosensitive transcription factors YAP/TAZ proteins.…”