Effect of the reflection at the soft tissue-bone interface on propagating characteristics of radial extracorporeal shock wave in soft tissue

This study aims to investigate the effect of reflection at the soft tissue-bone interface on shock wave propagation within soft tissue using finite element methods. Results showed that reflection caused obvious differences in the propagation process and attenuation characteristics of shock waves. The energy flux density (EFD) at the same target was proportional to the impact pressure. Changes in EFD at the target could be estimated using the impact pressure and the distance between the soft tissue-bone interface and the target (RMSE < 0.01). These results provide a reference for evaluating rESWT equipment and optimizing clinical treatment protocols.