Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on early and mid-term knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods 70 patients were randomly assigned to ESWT group (n=34) or control group (n=36). The ESWT group was given shock wave on unilateral knee, while the control group accepted shock wave with the energy density of 0. They were evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) on movement, Lequesne Index and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index before and 12 weeks after the intervention. Results The scores of VAS, Lequesne Index and WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index improved more in the ESWT group than in the control group after intervention (P<0.01). Conclusion ESWT is effective on KOA as a non-surgical treatment.

Key words: osteoarthritis, knee, extracorporeal shock wave, physical therapy