Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy on Functional Recovery and Neurotrophin-3 Expression in the Spinal Cord after Crushed Sciatic Nerve Injury in Rats

Abstract The study described here investigated the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on functional recovery and neurotrophin-3 expression in the spinal cord after sciatic nerve injury in rats. Forty-five 8-wk-old rats were used and randomly divided into three groups: An experimental group, a control group and a sham group. The experimental group received ESWT after the nerve-crushing damage. The sciatic functional index and Dartfish Software were used to determine the effect of sciatic nerve damage on functional changes. A 1-cm length of spinal cord encompassing the L4–6 level was removed for Western blot analysis. The sciatic functional index significantly changed in both the ESWT and control groups after impairment. In the time course evaluation of the ankle angle in the toe off, the ESWT group had statistically significant increases from day 21 onward. There was a significant difference in neurotrophin-3 expression between the groups on days 1, 7 and 14 after impairment. Early application of ESWT increased the expression of neurotrophin-3 and neurotrophin-3 mRNA, and daily therapy facilitated the activity of macrophages and Schwann cells, which affect the survival and regeneration of neurons.