Shockwave Therapy

What is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave Therapy, also known as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, is a restorative therapeutic technique in which acoustic waves carry energy to an injured area to stimulate the tissue healing response.

It can be used to help bones, tendons, and other types of soft tissue heal quicker while simultaneously alleviating your pain.

Shockwave therapy is used for both acute and chronic conditions. But the parameters used will be individualized based on the acuity or chronicity of the issue.

How is Shockwave Therapy done?

A skilled practitioner will apply gel to the injured area and any tissues where they will be applying the shockwaves. They will then use a probe to connected to a machine to effectively deliver shockwaves to the injured tissue.

In most cases, this will not be painful and you will not need analgesia.

If the practitioner determines that they need to use a high energy shock wave, you will be supplied with a form of local anesthesia to make sure you are comfortable while the shockwave is being conducted in your body.

As the treatment is occurring, you will be giving your skilled provider feedback about any sensitivity in the tissue to help direct the practitioner where to focus the shockwaves.

The intensity of the shockwaves can easily be adjusted in real time to promote your overall comfort. 

However, it’s important to note that your provider will select an intensity of the shockwave for your treatment based on the tissue effect they are trying to achieve.

Depending on how your body responds, you may need more than one session of shockwave therapy.

You may need to reduce your overall physical activity after treatment for one to two weeks to allow the treatment to be effective.

What is the aim of Shockwave Therapy?

The aim of shockwave therapy is to speed up your recovery from acute or chronic pain by stimulating your body’s natural healing response.

Shockwave therapy is often implemented with tendon injuries and chronic degenerative issues because of its effectiveness for enhancing tissue regeneration.

The shockwave itself is able to stimulate formation of new blood vessels to draw in nutrients to the injured tissue, which lets it heal faster and reduce the inflammatory response.

The shockwave also is able to eliminate tissue adhesions or restrictions that may be limiting the functional mobility of an injured or painful area.

Because shockwave therapy has few to no risks associated with it, it is often a helpful alternative to invasive surgical procedures.

Benefits of Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave therapy can be used for a wide variety of medical conditions and is often implemented to achieve one of the following benefits:

• Increased circulation to the tissue
• Reduced chronic inflammation
• Enhanced collagen formation in the injured area
• Release of trigger points in the soft tissue
• Reduced pain
• Improved mobility of the tissues in the injured area
• Quicker recovery
• Avoid surgical procedures for an injury
• Improved outcomes with chronic tendinopathies