Background Pain physicians pay close attention to neuropathic pain (NP),since there is currently no ideal treatment.Radial shock wave therapy (RSWT) is a noninvasive treatment to chronic pain of soft tissue disorders.So far,there is no information on the use of RSWT for the treatment of NP.Therefore we observe the effects of RSWT on a NP model induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats.Methods Four different energy densities (1.0,1.5,2.0 and 2.5 bar) RSWT administered as a single session or repeated sessions in rats with NP induced by CCI of the sciatic nerve.The analgesic effect was assessed by measuring mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL).The safety was assessed through calculating sciatic functional index (SFI).Results MWT and TWL increased after a single session of RSWT from day 1 to day 5 but retumed to baseline levels by day 10.Following repeated sessions of RSWT,both the MWT and TWL were significantly higher than NP group (P ＜ 0.01)for at least 4 weeks.In addition,no significant changes of SFI were observed in any groups after repeated sessions of RSWT and no increased pain or other side effects in any animals.Conclusions A single session of RSWT is rapidly effective in the treatment of CCI,but the efficacy maintained in a short period.However,repeated sessions of RSWT have prolonged efficacy.