RCT - ESWT v minimal dose ESWT for tendinopathies
Research type
Research Study
Full title
LEICSTES = LEICeSter Tendon Extracorporeal Shockwave Studies Assessing the benefits of the addition of Extra-Corporeal Shockwave Treatment to a structured home-rehabilitation programme for patients with tendinopathy.
IRAS ID
159000
Contact name
Patrick Wheeler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 1 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study investigates the therapeutic effects of Extra-Corporeal Shockwave Therapy (often called ESWT or shockwave) for chronic tendon problems. This is a modality already in use in clinical practice, and which NICE has previously given some guidance for, but which has still got uncertainties as to the benefits this gives for some conditions, and who may benefit maximally from this.
Extra-Corporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is the use of high-energy, inaudible, sound waves generated from a commercially available musculoskeletal ESWT machine, generated external to the body and which are transmitted through the skin to an area of focal tendinopathy, and are often felt as vibrations.
In this study all patients will receive a standardised structured rehabilitation programme to follow, and half of patients will receive a therapeutic dose of ESWT as is the case in routine clinical practice, the other half will receive a minimal dose of ESWT initially, so as to be able to compare the effects of the therapeutic ESWT.
At the end of the study, those patients who received the minimal dose of ESWT if they still have ongoing symptoms will re-enter normal clinical care and may be offered ESWT if thought to be appropriate.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0122
Date of REC Opinion
30 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion