5. Conclusions
suprapatellar effusion, pain
EFFUSION
To sum up, this pilot study investigated the effects of ESWT on pain, function, and ultrasonographic features in patients with mild knee OA. This study revealed that ESWT was not only effective in reducing pain and improving knee function in patients with mild knee OA, but it also reduced suprapatellar effusion height immediately after treatment and even after a month of follow-up. Doppler activity increased after ESWT, but did not persist at 1-month. Because objective structural changes such as increased Doppler activity and decreased suprapatellar effusion height were observed, and especially because the decrease in suprapatellar effusion height lasted for a month, we can strongly recommend ESWT as a compromising treatment option for human knee OA. Despite the encouraging results, further investigations with larger study samples are necessary in order to determine the optimal regimen of ESWT on human knee OA.