Prevalence and trends in physical therapy interventions for erectile dysfunction: A Scopus-based bibliometric analysis (1989-2022).

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that affects many males. Physical therapy (PT) is the one potential treatment for ED that may improve blood flow, muscle strength, and other factors that may contribute to the issue. Data on the prevalence and trends of research on PT for ED are lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the literature trends in PT for ED via bibliometric and visualized analysis.

Methods: Data on publications were collected from Scopus covering the period between 1989 and 2022. To refine the data, bibliometric analyses were conducted using Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, an online visualization platform, and BiblioAnalytics. Power BI and Bibliomaster were used to generate figures and tables, while Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used for visualization.

Results: A total of 494 documents were identified. The year 2019 generated the largest number of publications, with a total of 54. These studies have received 12,917 citations related to PT for ED. The most common document type was the original article with 283 publications. The University of California, USA, was the most productive institution on this topic, with 21 publications and 2,035 citations. The USA led all countries with 114 publications on the topic. The Journal of Sexual Medicine secured the top ranking with an h-index of 18. The main topics studied were erectile dysfunction, shockwave therapy, and physiotherapy.

Conclusion: The number of publications on PT for ED has demonstrated an upward trend over the last three decades.