Effects of Shockwave Therapy Versus Ultrasound Therapy Among Patients With Chronic Sciatica

July 14, 2026 updated by: Rimsha Imtiaz, University of Lahore

Comparative Effects of Shockwave Therapy Versus Ultrasound Therapy Combined With Conventional Physiotherapy on Pain Intensity, Hamstring Range of Motion, Sleep Quality, and Quality of Life Among Patients With Chronic Sciatica: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sciatica is characterized by radiating pain, functional limitations, reduced flexibility, disturbed sleep, and impaired quality of life. Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) and Therapeutic Ultrasound are commonly used physiotherapy modalities for pain relief and tissue healing; however, evidence directly comparing their effectiveness remains limited. This randomized controlled trial compares the effects of Shockwave Therapy and Ultrasound Therapy, each combined with conventional physiotherapy, on pain intensity, hamstring range of motion, sleep quality, and quality of life in patients with chronic sciatica.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial compares two physiotherapy interventions for chronic sciatica. Sixty-six participants will be randomly allocated to either Shockwave Therapy plus Conventional Physiotherapy or Ultrasound Therapy plus Conventional Physiotherapy. Both groups will receive identical conventional physiotherapy consisting of heat therapy, myofascial release, stretching, and strengthening exercises. Treatment will be administered four sessions per week for eight weeks. Outcomes including pain intensity, hamstring range of motion, sleep quality, and quality of life will be measured at baseline, Week 4, and Week 8 by a blinded outcome assessor.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

66

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 20-45 years.
  • Clinically diagnosed chronic sciatica.
  • Radiating pain below the knee.
  • Positive Straight Leg Raise test (30°-70°).
  • Pain intensity ≥4/10 on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale.
  • Symptoms persisting for at least 3 months.
  • Presence of tingling, numbness, lumbar radiculopathy, or piriformis syndrome.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lumbar disc herniation.
  • Progressive neurological disorders.
  • Ankylosing spondylitis.
  • Paget disease.
  • Tuberculosis.
  • Malignancy.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory disorders.
  • Previous spinal surgery or fracture.
  • Fever, unexplained weight loss, or systemic illness.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Shockwave Therapy + Conventional Physiotherapy
Participants will receive radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy in addition to standardized conventional physiotherapy four times per week for eight weeks.
Device: Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy
Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy will be applied to the sciatic nerve origin and piriformis region using standardized treatment parameters for approximately 10 minutes during each treatment session.
Other Names:
  • ESWT
  • Radial Shockwave Therapy
Other: Conventional Physiotherapy
Conventional physiotherapy will include moist heat therapy, myofascial release, stretching exercises, and strengthening exercises administered during every treatment session.
Active Comparator: Ultrasound Therapy + Conventional Physiotherapy
Participants will receive therapeutic ultrasound in addition to standardized conventional physiotherapy four times per week for eight weeks.
Other: Conventional Physiotherapy
Conventional physiotherapy will include moist heat therapy, myofascial release, stretching exercises, and strengthening exercises administered during every treatment session.
Device: Therapeutic Ultrasound
Therapeutic ultrasound will be applied to the gluteal and lumbar regions using standardized frequency and intensity parameters for approximately 10 minutes during each treatment session.
Other Names:
  • Ultrasound
  • Ultrasound Therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (0-10). Higher scores indicate greater pain.
Baseline, Week 4, Week 8
Hamstring Range of Motion
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8
Hip flexion measured with a universal goniometer during the Straight Leg Raise test.
Baseline, Week 4, Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sleep Quality
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8
Sleep Quality Scale. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.
Baseline, Week 4, Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Lahore

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 30, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 10, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

April 12, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 14, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UOL/IREB/25/09/0054

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared because this study was conducted as an academic research project. The informed consent obtained from participants did not include provisions for public data sharing, and the dataset contains sensitive personal health information. Data will be stored securely and used only for academic and research purposes in accordance with institutional ethics approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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