Background: Spasticity of the lower limb is a frequent and disabling complication of acquired central neurological conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. Focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation approach, yet the evidence base remains heterogeneous and incompletely mapped. Objective: This scoping review aims to systematically map the available evidence on the efficacy and safety of ESWT for lower limb spasticity in adults with acquired central neurological conditions, characterise the technical parameters used across studies, and identify gaps to inform future research protocols. Methods: This review follows the Arksey & O'Malley (2005) framework revised by Levac et al. (2010), and is reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist (Tricco et al., 2018). Seven databases were searched (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PEDro, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Library), yielding 569 records. After deduplication and two-phase screening, 70 full texts are currently under assessment. Data extraction and quality appraisal (PEDro, RoB 2, MINORS) will be performed independently by two reviewers. A narrative synthesis structured by neurological condition and outcome domain will be conducted.
Bauer et al. (Thu,) studied this question.