Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of extracorporeal shock wave combined with joint mobilization in the treatment of partial rotator cuff injury. Methods A total of 75 patients with partial rotator cuff injury and shoulder stiffness treated in The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University) from Jan. 2020 to Jan. 2021 were enrolled and were randomly divided into 3 groups:shock wave group (group A), joint mobilization group (group B), and shock wave combined with joint mobilization group (group C), with 25 cases in each group. The patients in group A were treated with extracorporeal shock wave and routine physiotherapy (interference electricity, shortwave, etc.) and were offered exercise guidance. The patients in group B were treated with joint mobilization and routine physiotherapy and were offered exercise guidance. The patients in group C were treated with extracorporeal shock wave combined with joint mobilization, routine physiotherapy and were offered exercise guidance. The clinical effects of the 3 groups were compared after 3 weeks of treatment. Results After 3 weeks of treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of the 3 groups were decreased, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder joint scores were increased, and the differences were statistically significant in each group compared with those before treatment (all P<0.01). The VAS score of group C (1.80±1.08) was significantly lower than that of group A (3.08±1.44) or group B (2.96±1.57) after treatment (both P<0.05). The UCLA shoulder joint scores of group C (27.44±1.96) were significantly higher than those of group A (24.76±2.24) or group B (22.92±3.93) (both P<0.05). The total effective rate of group C (92.00%[23/25]) was significantly higher than that of group A (72.00%[18/25]) or group B (76.00%[19/25]) (both P<0.05). Conclusion Extracorporeal shock wave combined with joint mobilization has a better short-term effect in the treatment of partial rotator cuff injury than extracorporeal shock wave or joint mobilization alone.