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I read the following in an article from a Facebook page for a clinic in the Lebanon region, and I am trying to know if this choice is good or not?:

Extracorporeal ShockWave Therapy, or ESWT, is a relatively new treatment for erectile dysfunction that is non-drug, non-surgical and without adverse side effects. It is the same therapy as used in orthopedics, urology and cardiology and which at higher energies is used to break up kidney stones, known as Lithotripsy. The indication for erectile dysfunction has been approved for use in Europe, most countries in the Middle East and South America as well as in Canada.

Is That Correct?

Is ShockWave Useful for ED or not?

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    Welcome to MedicalSciences.SE. Can you please provide details of where you read this?
    – Chris Rogers
    Commented Oct 11, 2018 at 23:41
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    @ChrisRogers Given articles like this, I think he gets a pass on proving prior research.
    – Carey Gregory ♦
    Commented Oct 12, 2018 at 4:27
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    @CareyGregory - That article was not mentioned in the question until you put it in there.
    – Chris Rogers
    Commented Oct 12, 2018 at 6:53
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    @ChrisRogers & CareyGregory actually, the article from a Facebook page for a clinic in Lebanon region, and I am trying to know if this choice is good or not?
    – Mohamad Mahmoud Darwish
    Commented Oct 12, 2018 at 8:19
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    @MikeDarwish - Thanks for clarifying things. I have edited your question to reflect the details you provided. Can you please [edit your question] to provide a link to the article?
    – Chris Rogers
    Commented Oct 12, 2018 at 8:43

2 Answers 2

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The results of our studies, which also included a double-blind randomized control trial, confirm that LI-ESWT generates a significant clinical improvement of erectile function and a significant improvement in penile hemodynamics without any adverse effects

Source:
Gruenwald, I., Appel, B., Kitrey, N. D., & Vardi, Y. (2013). Shockwave treatment of erectile dysfunction. Therapeutic Advances in Urology, 5(2), 95–99. doi: 10.1177/1756287212470696

Also available from NCBI here.

P.S. personal advice: don't trust Facebook articles unless they are linked to reliable sources (e.g. .org, .gov, etc)

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The research on this topic is a little mixed, but a new study[1] published in January 2019 reviewed almost 40 previous studies, and concluded the shockwave therapy significantly improves erectile function in patients with vasculogenic ED.

One problem remains, however. The is an external treatment, which in most countries means it does not need government approval; therefore, the government mandated trials have not been done.

Those trials determine the safety and effectiveness of a treatment, but they also establish treatment protocols. Without those studies, each doctor or clinic may determining their own protocols, and they may not be as effective as treatments administered in peer-reviewed studies.

My current recommendation would be, check it out, but use caution.

[1] Sokolakis, Ioannis; Hatzichristodoulou, Georgios. “Clinical studies on low intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.” International Journal of Impotence Research. Jan 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-019-0117-z

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  • One of the drawbacks of shockwave therapy has been the high cost... several thousand dollars for a series of treatments. This made it impractical for most people to try. There is a new option - a home device for administering shockwave therapy - which sells for under $1000. Here's a review: edtreatment.info/…
    – EDtreatment
    Commented Sep 23, 2020 at 23:10

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