Shockwave Therapy involves the use of shockwaves to treat chronic, persistent or recurring painful conditions of the musculoskeletal system.
A shockwave is an intense but very short energy wave travelling faster than the speed of sound. It is pneumatically generated (by an air compressor) and is transmitted into the body’s tissues via a hand piece. Radial shockwave therapy (RSWT) stimulates cellular metabolism and enhances blood circulation, which enables damaged tissue to regenerate and eventually heal itself. The shockwave treatment also has a direct effect on nerves in the painful area, and relieves pain by producing an analgesic effect.
What makes RSWT particularly unique is that it is one of the very few technologies in any field of medicine that seems to work best when an injury or condition reaches the chronic non-healing state. RSWT is able to jump-start the healing process in these situations by moving them back into the acute phase of healing and stimulating the body’s inherent self-healing processes.
Many scientific studies published in reputable medical journals have proven the efficacy and safety of RSWT in the treatment of the following conditions:
- Plantar fasciitis and heel spurs
- Achilles tendinopathy (mid-body and insertional)
- Patella tendinopathy (Jumper’s knee) and Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
- Shin splints, medial tibial stress syndrome, stress fractures
- ITB syndrome (Runner’s knee)
- Trochanteric bursitis and gluteal tendinopathy (pain around the hip)
- Hamstring tendinopathy
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy and calcification in the shoulder
- Tennis and Golfer’s elbow
