Extracorporeal (outside the body) Shockwave (high energy sound waves) therapy is a non-invasive treatment designed to treat the causes of chronic and acute pain/injury without the need for injections, medication or surgery. The treatment stimulates an inflammatory-like response in the tissue that is being treated. The body then responds by increasing the blood flow and metabolism to the injured area. This, in turn, accelerates the body's own healing processes. The shockwaves break down injured tissue and calcifications. Long-term studies have shown this treatment is between 50% to 70% effective in healing and dramatically reducing pain. Generally, between 3 to 6 treatments are required and these are performed at weekly intervals. Each treatment lasts for approximately 15-20 minutes.
What happens during the procedure?
Essentially, whereas a steroid injection works best for inflammatory conditions by suppressing an inflammatory response to a healing injury, ESWT has the opposite effect by inducing an inflammatory reaction to strengthen injured collagen, connective tissue and/or muscle/tendon tissues.
Piezowave shockwave therapy, a form of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), uses a non-invasive device to deliver acoustic shock waves to target injuries at varying depths, up to 20 mm, to compress and manipulate the tissue. This leads to an increase in blood circulation within the affected area, stimulating cell regeneration and other key components to accelerate the healing process, and helping reduce pain felt by the nerve fibers. The waves desensitize nerve endings in the target area to quickly reduce pain, followed by a controlled microscopic trauma to the area to promote new blood flow to the area and thus deliver healing growth factors to injury.
ESWT promotes healing by setting up a mild inflammatory response within the target structure to actually kickstart the early phase of healing. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, should be avoided for 7 days after each treatment. This therapy enhances blood circulation and accelerates the healing of stubborn musculoskeletal conditions in bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscle.
Shockwave therapy is a fast and effective treatment for acute and chronic pain in tendons, muscles, and joints. During treatment, shockwaves target the damaged tissue and work to alleviate pain and muscle tightness and improve the range of motion by eliminating adhesions. Shockwave therapy can be an effective treatment for most tendon disorders and a range of other conditions, including:
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