Objective:To explore any effect of using extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) on the gastrocnemius muscle or the myotendinous junction on spasticity and the walking ability of stroke survivors.Methods:A total of 84 stroke survivors were randomly divided into a control group, a muscle belly group, and a myotendinous junction group, each of 28. In addition to conventional rehabilitation, the muscle belly and myotendinous junction groups received ESWT applied to the belly of the gastrocnemius muscle or the myotendinous junction. Before as well as one, two and three weeks after the treatment, all were evaluated using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), passive range of motion (PROM), a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain rating, and 10m maximum walking speed (10m MWS). Stride frequency and length were also measured and compared among the 3 groups.Results:After three weeks of ESWT treatment the average MAS, PROM and VAS scores of the belly and the junction group were significantly improved compared to before the treatment. The average MAS, PROM and VAS scores of the belly group and the average MAS score of the junction group were then significantly superior to the control group′s averages, and the average VAS score of the belly group was significantly better than that of the junction group. After one and two weeks of treatment, the average 10MWSs of the belly and junction groups were significantly better than the control group′s average, and after 3 weeks the belly group′s average speed was significantly better than the junction group′s. The stride frequency of the belly group had improved significantly compared with the control group after 2 weeks, and after 3 weeks both experimental groups had significantly better frequency than the control group. The average stride length of both the belly and junction groups was significantly better than the control group′s average throughout the testing.Conclusion:ESWT applied to the belly of the gastrocnemius muscle or the myotendinous junction can relieve muscle spasticity and pain and improve walking ability. Applying ESWT to the muscle belly is superior to on the myotendinous junction in terms of therapeutic efficacy.