ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy to provide evidence for clinical practice. MethodsDatabases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMbase, CINAHL plus, PEDro, CNKI, CBM, WanFang Data, and VIP were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ESWT in the treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy from inception to January 11th, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsA total of 12 RCTs from 11 articles were included, including 529 subjects (273 in the case group and 256 in the control group). Meta-analysis showed that no significant difference between ESWT and placebo in pain improvement (SMD=−1.08, 95% CI −2.45 to 0.29, P=0.12), superior pain improvement in ESWT group than electroacupuncture group (SMD=−7.15, 95%CI −8.50 to −5.80, P<0.000 01), and no significant difference in pain improvement between ESWT as adjuvant therapy and acupuncture alone (SMD=−4.32, 95%CI −11.93 to 3.29, P=0.27). Regarding the Constant–Murley score (CMS) for shoulder joint function, ESWT was associated with an improved CMS compared with placebo (SMD=1.31, 95%CI 0.08 to 2.53, P=0.04). There was no significant difference in the improvement in the CMS between ESWT and other treatments (SMD=0.13, 95%CI −2.07 to 2.53, P=0.91). There was no significant difference in the improvement in the CMS between ESWT as adjuvant therapy and acupuncture alone (SMD=1.68, 95%CI −0.69 to 4.05, P=0.16). ConclusionsESWT may improve shoulder joint function in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy, and the alleviation of pain in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy requires further investigation. Due to the limited quality and quantity of included studies, the above conclusions requires further investigation by more high-quality studies.