10/02/2026
Study spotlight: ESWT and time to return to activity after Achilles tendon surgery
In a recent case-control pilot study by Saxena et al. (2025), patients undergoing surgery for insertional Achilles tendinopathy followed a standardised postoperative rehabilitation protocol. In addition, the intervention group received perioperative Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) using focused and or radial shock waves which were applied preoperatively, postoperatively, or in combination (2-3 sessions).
The study explored whether shock wave therapy could influence the time to return to activity (RTA) after Achilles tendon surgery. The study found that patients receiving perioperative ESWT returned to sporting activity on average 1.3 months earlier than those only following the standardised postoperative rehabilitation protocol (5.5 vs. 6.8 months; p = 0.02). The clinical status assessed by the Roles and Maudsley scale showed a positive trend in the intervention group, without reaching statistical significance.
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