OBJECTIVE: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), a newly rising method of physiotherapy, has been paid much attention to. The aim of this study is to investigate the developing mechanism, properties, classification and characteristics of extracorporeal shock wave (ESW), study the development, variation, application status and essential progress of ESWT, and probe into its therapeutic mechanism and prospect. DATA SOURCES: The relevant articles to ESWT from January 1999 to April 2004 were searched for in NCBI Entrez PubMed by inputting the key words 'Extracorporeal Shock Wave' in English into a computer. Similarly, the relevant articles to ESWT in Chinese from January 1994 to April 2004 were searched for in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). STUDY SELECTION: Having been looked through primarily, the included articles were 1 the study on developing mechanism, classification and physical properties of ESW, and 2 the basis and clinical study on the ESWT for musculoskeletal system diseases; The excluded articles were those about repetitive study, review and meta analysis. Whether the articles adopted random, control and blind methods were not excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: A total of 51 relevant literatures were collected, including 5 literatures by means of tracing back, 33 included articles and 18 excluded articles (5 for repetitive study, 7 for the application of ESW in urinary system and 6 for check-up and repair of ESW machine malfunction). DATA SYNTHESIS: Of the 33 articles, 21 were about the obvious effect of ESWT in treating chronic soft tissue injury, nonunion and delayed union of bone with little complication confirmed by means of controlled method through clinical study and animal experiment, and also about the detailed therapy, evaluation of curative effect, side effects, adaptive symptoms, contraindication and action mechanism; 3 were about ESWT for aseptic necrosis of femoral head and regressive lesion in middle and elder people, and investigation of action mechanism of ESWT; 4 were about relationship among effective energy flow density, frequency and curative effect of ESWT; and 1 was about effect of ESWT on periosteal tissues. CONCLUSION: Based on extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), the ESWT for musculoskeletal system diseases was more in the basic and clinical study, mature in therapeutic methods, enlarged in treatment field, satisfied in therapeutic effects, and better than conventional therapy. It is believed that ESWT will be indispensable in treating musculoskeletal system diseases with extensive prospect.

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