shockwave therapy (ESWT) has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. With the evolu - tion and comprehension of its biological and physical mechanisms, the application of ESWT on other pathologies has also been studied, especially in musculoskeletal diseases. Recently, studies on animal models have shown its angiogenic capacity and a higher rate of local re-epithelization. These small stud - ies led to few trials using low-energy, radial ESWT to treat problematic chronic skin ulcers. Skin ulcers have diverse etiologies, ranging from pressure ulcers, burns, venous or arterial ulcers, and even diabetic ulcers. Their treatment is usually a challenge, due to the long-term treatment and high costs. Objective: To review the literature and evaluate the efficacy of ESWT in caring for skin ulcers of various etiologies: diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, burns, post-traumatic ulcers, venous and arterial ulcers. Method: A lit- erature review was made, with only human trials included. Results: 9 articles were selected that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The studies included evaluations of 788 patients. The manuscripts demonstrated a large variability regarding the interventions made. There was heterogeneity regarding intervention time, number of pulses, frequency of sessions, and also the number of sessions, energy density used, and the type of shock wave used in therapies. Some of the included trials found a higher rate of complete wound healing and faster epithelization in patients with chronic lesions, unresponsive to the traditional mea - sures. However, there were few studies in the literature with proper methodological quality. Conclusion: ESWT is a promising alternative for the treatment of patients unresponsive to conventional measures. The results are promising, although the evidence regarding wound healing and acceleration of wound healing is still limited. The studies selected did not report any significant side effects.
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