the urologic clinic at the University of Munich. The development of the Dornier lithotripter progressed through several prototypes, ultimately culminating in February 1980 with the first treatment of a human by SWL. The production and distribution of the Dornier HM3 lithotripter began in late 1983, and SWL was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1984. In the 1980s people using ESWT for kidney stones noticed that it appeared to increase bone density in nearby bones, leading them to explore it for orthopedic purposes. Research In response to concerns raised by NICE, in 2012 a study called the Assessment of the Effectiveness of ESWT for Soft Tissue Injuries was launched (ASSERT). As of 2018 use of ESWT had been studied as a potential treatment for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome in three small studies; there were short term improvements in symptoms and few adverse effects, but the medium term results are unknown, and the results are difficult to generalize due to low quality of the studies. Veterinary use ESWT is commonly used for treating orthopedic problems in horses, including tendon and ligament injuries, kissing spine, navicular syndrome, and arthritis. The evidence for these uses is weak. Physiotherapy use ESWT is used in physical therapy for pain reduction, increase in metabolism at the cellular level, revascularisation, and recovering normal muscle tone following various disorders. The use of ESWT was demonstrated in patients with frozen shoulders compared to therapeutic ultrasound with exercises. Research suggests that ESWT can accelerate the blood flow, facilitating the healing of the inflamed Achilles tendon. In one study involving 23 patients with chronic achilles tendinopathy, 20 reported improvement in their condition and pain scores after ESWT; three saw no change, and none reported any worsening. See also Laser lithotripsy References Medical treatments