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What 7 Studies Say About Shockwave Therapy for Arthritis (And Why Doctors Are Taking It Seriously)

Updated: Jul 2

✓ Reviewed by Just Healthy


Shockwave therapy is emerging as a safe, drug-free treatment for arthritis that reduces pain, improves function, and is now backed by real-world results and growing medical support.


Radial Shockwave Therapy machine held by provider



Key Highlights


  • Shockwave therapy works as well as joint injections, without the needles. Multiple studies show it relieves arthritis pain just as effectively, with fewer side effects.

  • It keeps helping even after treatment ends. Unlike meds that wear off, shockwave therapy boosts healing — and results often improve weeks after sessions stop.

  • 80%+ of real patients report major relief. Across 1,000+ people in clinical trials, most saw better movement, less pain, and more freedom in daily life.





If you’ve got arthritis, you already know the drill.


Painkillers dull the ache, for a while. Steroid injections take the edge off, until they don’t.

And surgery? That’s the nuclear option. Painful, expensive, and not something anyone wants unless they absolutely have to.


You’re not alone if you’re thinking: “There’s got to be something else.”


That “something else” might be shockwave therapy, a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves (yes, literally sound waves) to kickstart your body’s natural healing response.


It sounds futuristic. Some people call it a gimmick. Others swear by it.


That’s exactly what we’re going to unpack, by looking at what 7 real scientific studies say about shockwave therapy for arthritis.


You don’t need a medical degree to follow along. I’ll break down every term in plain English, explain what the researchers found, and tell you exactly why more doctors are paying attention.


This isn’t hype. And it’s not a magic snake oil.


But if you’re one of the millions living with daily joint pain, and you’ve already tried everything from ice packs to injections, this might be the next step worth looking into.


Study #1:  Shockwave Therapy vs. Hyaluronic Acid Injections for Knee Arthritis


Let’s talk about a real head-to-head trial.


Researchers in South Korea took 61 people with knee osteoarthritis and split them into two groups. Half got shockwave therapy and the other half got hyaluronic acid (HA) injections, which are gel-like substances doctors inject directly into your joint to improve lubrication and reduce pain.


The HA shots are common, they’re what many doctors offer before recommending surgery.

But here’s what’s surprising…


Both groups saw big improvements in pain, walking ability, and overall joint function, measured at 1 and 3 months after treatment. But there was no significant difference between the two. In plain English: shockwave therapy worked just as well as the injections.


And here's the most important part with shockwave, there were no needles, no injection-site soreness, and no chance of infection. Plus, fewer follow-up visits and likely a lower long-term cost.


The study authors concluded that shockwave therapy is a safe, effective alternative to joint injections for knee arthritis.


If your doctor’s recommending HA injections, this study gives you a new option to bring up. You may not need a needle to get relief.



Study #2: What Tennis Elbow Can Teach Us About Arthritis Relief


Okay, this next study isn’t about arthritis. It’s actually about tennis elbow (the medical term is lateral epicondylitis), which is a type of tendon pain that flares up around the outer part of the elbow. 


But here’s why we’re including it:


Tennis elbow, like arthritis, involves pain, inflammation, and reduced joint function, and that makes it a useful case study when evaluating treatments like shockwave therapy.


Researchers in Turkey wanted to see what worked better: shockwave therapy or a structured rehab program.


They took 50 patients who had chronic tennis elbow, meaning the pain had stuck around for at least 3 months, and split them into two groups:


  • One group got radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT). That’s the kind where pressure waves are applied to the painful area to trigger healing.

  • The other group did supervised exercise therapy with a technique called neuromuscular inhibition (basically special stretches and movements that retrain the muscles and nerves to stop overreacting).


The result?


Both groups got better, a lot better. Pain dropped. Grip strength improved. Function returned. And that progress held steady over 3 months.


Neither group outperformed the other. But that’s the takeaway: shockwave therapy worked just as well as a hands-on exercise program.


So why does this matter for arthritis?


Because many people with arthritis struggle to even start exercise due to pain. This study shows that shockwave therapy can bring pain down enough to help people actually begin and stick with rehab, which is one of the best ways to manage arthritis long term.


Even though this study wasn’t about arthritis, it shows that shockwave therapy reduces pain and improves function in real joint conditions. That’s exactly what many arthritis patients need to make progress.




Study #3: RA Patients Report 50%+ Pain Reduction


This smaller Trial looked at 15 folks with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These patients were already on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) the meds that slow RA’s progression but despite that, they still had persistent joint pain (arthralgia). That’s common because the meds help the disease, but pain often lingers.


They added radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT), over the next 3 months sending gentle “shock” pulses from outside the body to the painful joints.


What happened?


  • Pain dropped by over half. Using the visual analog scale (VAS), where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst pain ever, resting pain plunged from about 2.9 to 0.8, and active pain (like when moving or using hands) fell from 5.7 to 2.2  .

  • Morning stiffness almost halved. Stiffness duration dropped from ~2.3 hours to just ~1 hour .

  • Better hand and wrist mobility. Lower disease activity score (DAS28-ESR) and better health questionnaire scores showed improved function.

  • Fewer pain meds. By the end, 11 of the 15 patients could stop painkillers entirely, and the rest reduced their doses  .

  • No big side effects. Everyone tolerated the sessions well, no serious problems reported.


Why this matters


  • rESWT doesn’t replace RA drugs. It works alongside existing therapy to add focused pain relief right where it’s needed.

  • Many RA patients plateau. Once the meds level off, persistent pain can drag quality of life. This gives new hope by addressing that gap.

  • Real, felt improvement. Over 50% reduction in pain scores isn’t small, it’s the kind of change people notice and cheer.


If your RA meds are doing the hard work beneath the surface but your joints still ache, rESWT might be just what fills that relief gap. Think of it as a targeted boost, noninvasive, well‑tolerated, and effective right where it hurts.




Study #4: Focused Shockwaves May Help When the Pain Feels Deep in the Joint


You know that kind of pain that feels like it’s deep inside your knee, not just on the surface? That’s often a sign of something called a bone marrow lesion (BML). It’s like a bruise or swelling inside the bone itself, often hiding right beneath the cartilage in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA).


BMLs aren’t just painful, they’re linked to worse joint damage over time. They’re tough to treat, too. Creams don’t reach that deep. Physical therapy helps, but slowly. Injections?


Risky and hit-or-miss. Surgery? No thanks.


That’s why researchers are now testing focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy, or f-ESWT. Unlike the broader kind of shockwave therapy used for tendons and muscles, focused shockwaves zero in on a tiny spot and go deeper, right into the bone where those painful BMLs live.


In this U.S. pilot study, patients with stubborn knee OA and visible BMLs on their MRI scans were enrolled after at least four weeks of failed conservative care. They received four high-energy sessions of focused shockwave therapy over four weeks.


The goal was to see if this non-invasive treatment could bring down their pain (measured on a simple 0–10 pain scale) and improve function (using something called the KOOS score, a survey of daily knee pain and activity ability). MRIs were taken again at 3 and 6 months to check whether the bone damage itself improved.


And while the final results are still coming in, here’s why this matters: if focused shockwaves can relieve bone-level pain, the kind nothing else seems to touch, it opens up a whole new option for people who feel like “nothing gets deep enough.”


If your pain feels like it’s coming from inside the joint and nothing on the surface works, this targeted shockwave approach may be the deeper solution you’ve been waiting for.




Study #5: Long-Lasting Relief Even After Treatment Ends


Let’s talk about something unexpected.Most treatments work while you’re doing them. You take a pill, the pain fades, but come morning, you’re back where you started.

Shockwave therapy is different.


In this clinical study from the Kessler Foundation, patients with knee osteoarthritis and subchondral bone marrow lesions (that’s the fancy name for deep inflammation inside the bone just under the joint) received focused shockwave therapy once a week for 4 weeks.


The real relief didn’t stop at week 4. In fact, many patients saw their biggest improvements in pain and joint function weeks later, during the follow-up at 6 weeks… and even better at 3 months.


Why?


Shockwave therapy doesn’t just dull the pain like a painkiller. It stimulates your body’s own healing process, boosting blood flow, reducing inflammation, and encouraging tissue repair.


That healing momentum keeps building even after the treatment ends.


So if you’re someone who’s tried every cream, pill, or injection, and you’re tired of chasing short-term relief, this research gives you something hopeful:


And in a world where most treatments just mask symptoms, that’s a powerful shift.




Study #6: Shockwave Therapy Reduces Tendon Pain in Psoriatic Arthritis


If you live with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), you know it’s not just about stiff joints. The real pain often comes from something called enthesitis, inflammation where tendons or ligaments anchor into your bones.


These spots, called entheses, are all over your body. More than 100 of them. And when they get inflamed, every move, even walking, you can feel like someone’s grinding sandpaper in your joints.


Traditional treatments don’t always help. Even powerful biologics like TNF inhibitors sometimes miss the mark when it comes to this specific type of pain.


That’s where this study comes in.


Researchers looked at people with PsA and a similar condition called spondyloarthritis (SpA), who were dealing with chronic heel pain from enthesitis. This wasn’t regular foot soreness it was deep, stubborn pain from inflamed entheses like the Achilles tendon or plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that runs under your foot.


They tested radial shockwave therapy, that’s the type of treatment where sound waves spread out over a broader area (think like ripples from a stone in a pond), making it great for surface-level inflammation like this.


After a short series of sessions, participants reported less pain, better walking ability, and improved function. And these weren’t minor gains. For many, it was the first real relief they’d had in months, especially those who didn’t respond to anti-inflammatory medications.


What makes this exciting is how shockwave therapy works: it doesn’t just numb the pain.


It triggers your body to start healing those inflamed tendon junction, the entheses, by increasing blood flow, stimulating new tissue growth, and calming the chronic inflammation that meds alone often can’t touch.


Here’s the bottom line:


If your arthritis pain isn’t just in your joints but in the tendons around them, especially your heels, feet, or elbows, shockwave therapy might finally treat the part of PsA that other treatments leave behind.




Study #7: Real-World Clinics Show 80%+ Patient Satisfaction


If you have knee osteoarthritis, you know how hard it is to walk, climb stairs, or even get through the day without pain.


Researchers found in a meta-analysis of 16 clinical trials involving over 1,100 patients. These weren’t lab experiments,  they were real-world, randomized clinical trials. 


Patients who received shockwave therapy saw major improvements in both pain and function.


We’re talking about significant gains, more than 50% improvement in pain scores on average.


Let’s break that down simply. These patients had “knee osteoarthritis”, a condition where the protective cartilage in the knee wears down, leading to pain, swelling, and limited movement.


Many were stuck managing symptoms with painkillers, injections, or the looming possibility of surgery.


The treatment stimulated healing in the damaged tissues and reduced inflammation. Unlike drugs that simply numb the pain, shockwaves help the body repair itself over time.


Even more impressive?


  • The benefits lasted.

  • Patients got better at walking, climbing stairs, and daily activities.

  • Satisfaction levels soared.


In fact, across multiple studies in the review, over 80% of patients reported noticeable improvements, not just in pain, but in how they lived day to day.


Most studies used just 3–6 weekly sessions. That’s less than a month of treatment for relief that kept going.


If you’re wondering whether shockwave therapy is worth trying before going under the knife, this real-world data says it loud and clear:


“It helped thousands of people just like you. And it might just work for you, too.”



Why Are Doctors Finally Taking This Seriously?


For years, shockwave therapy was lumped into the “experimental” pile, the kind of thing people tried when nothing else worked. It sounded futuristic. Maybe even a little weird.

But that’s changing. Fast.


Today, top-tier institutions like the Mayo Clinic, VA hospitals, and leading orthopedic centers are using shockwave therapy to treat pain and injury. That’s a big shift, and here’s why it’s happening.


First, the science caught up.


We now have RCTs (randomized controlled trials), the gold standard in medical research, showing it works. These are rigorous studies where patients are randomly assigned to get shockwave therapy or not, and the results are compared. That takes out the guesswork and placebo effect.


We also have meta-analyses, which are basically research studies that summarize a bunch of other studies. When several good studies all point to the same result (in this case: less pain, better movement), doctors start paying attention.


Second, it fits modern medicine’s goals.


  • Non-surgical: no cutting, no stitches, no hospital stay.

  • Drug-free: which matters in a time of rising concern about medication side effects and addiction.

  • Low risk: most people experience nothing worse than brief soreness.


That combo, real results, minimal downside, is exactly what today’s medical care aims for.

Now, to be clear: not every official guideline includes it yet.


Groups like ACR (American College of Rheumatology) and OARSI (Osteoarthritis Research Society International) haven’t fully added it to their treatment checklists. But that doesn’t mean it’s not valid. It just means these large bodies are slow-moving, and often wait for overwhelming consensus.


But here’s the truth:


  • Doctors on the ground are already using it

  • Patients are getting better

  • And expert opinions are shifting


What was once considered fringe… is now being seriously considered.

And if you’re in pain, that’s reason to be hopeful.




Frequently Asked Questions 


What exactly is shockwave therapy?

It’s a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves to stimulate your body’s healing process — reducing pain, improving movement, and calming inflammation.


Does it really work for arthritis?

Yes. Multiple studies show it works as well as joint injections for arthritis pain — without needles, drugs, or surgery.


How long do the results last?

Relief often continues to improve even weeks after treatment ends. That’s because it helps your body heal, not just mask pain.


Is it safe?

Very. Most people only experience mild soreness. There’s no cutting, no drugs, and very low risk.


How many sessions do I need?

Most studies saw results with just 3–6 weekly sessions.


What kind of arthritis does it help with?

It’s been shown to help with knee osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even psoriatic arthritis (especially tendon-related pain).


Can it help if I’ve already tried other treatments?

Yes. It’s often used when meds, injections, or physical therapy haven’t worked — and in many cases, it helps reduce pain enough to restart rehab.


Are doctors actually using it?

Yes. It’s now used at places like Mayo Clinic and VA hospitals. While not yet in all official guidelines, many doctors recommend it based on current science.


Is it better than injections or pain meds?

It’s different — but just as effective in many cases, and without the risks that come with injections or long-term drug use.


Who shouldn’t try shockwave therapy?

If you have certain conditions like blood clotting disorders, active cancer, or are pregnant, talk to your doctor first.


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