The aim of the study was to evaluate whether physical exercise (PE) in addition to extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is more effective in improving erectile function as compared to ESWT and PE alone in diabetic patients with erectile dysfunction (ED).
Forty-five patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and ED were divided into three equal groups: group 1 (ESWT group) received treatment with ESWT twice weekly for 6 weeks, comprising 3000 shockwaves at an energy density of 0.25 mJ/mm 2 and an emission frequency of 6 Hz; group 2 (PE group) received treatment with physical exercise three times per week for 12 weeks; and group 3 (combined group) was treated using physical exercise in the form of the program followed by the PE group, plus ESWT in the form of the same parameter and protocol as that of the ESWT group. Treatment outcomes were measured by International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) score variations recorded at 4 and 12 weeks after the end of treatment with respect to the baseline.