Efficacy of the Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Athletes With Patellar Tendinopathy

All participants will perform a 6-week single-leg eccentric squat exercise. It will be performed on an incline board with a 25° incline. It will consist of a single-leg squat, with the downward component (eccentric phase) of the EEP performed using the symptomatic leg and the upward component (concentric phase) using the contralateral leg primarily. If pain occurs during the exercises, athletes will be asked to continue the exercise if they score ≤5 out of 10 on the Visual Acuity Scale (VAS). The exercises will be attempted in the first session of each week, and if no or very little pain is felt, the weight will be increased by 2.5% to increase the intensity of the exercise. Three sets of 15 repetitions per session will be performed twice a day. It will be performed 5 days a week. Participants will be asked to fill out an exercise diary (sets, repetitions, and daily frequency) and return it to the researchers at each follow-up session.

ESWT is a therapy method routinely used in private and public hospitals. Tendinopathy therapy parameters approved by the International Society for Medical Shock Wave Therapy (ISMST) for focused ESWT treatment are: 0.10-0.25 mJ/mm (dosing appropriate to pain), up to a maximum of 5 Hz, 1500-2500 pulses per session, 1-2 weeks apart. Accordingly, in our study, the focused ESWT dosage of the ESWT group will be applied as; 0.10-0.25 mJ/mm (dosing appropriate to pain), 4 Hz, 2000 pulses, 1 session per week for 3 weeks. No exercise will be done on the day of ESWT.