Shockwave

Is Shockwave Therapy an effective treatment for Chronic Pain?

What is Shockwave Therapy?

Radial ShockWave Therapy (R-SWT) is a modern and effective method of treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. Average success rate of treatment with shockwave is 70%. Normal amount of treatment is between 3-8 sessions.

It is a non-surgical and non-invasive treatment for musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Extracorporeal shockwaves are pressure waves that are high in energy and generated acoustically outside of the body. These waves can be directed toward a targeted tissue to generate a physical, chemical and or biological response whether that to reduce pain, accelerate healing or restart the healing process.

• PAIN RELIEF –  Pain relief by reducing the concentration of substance P in the tissue which can last up to 6 weeks. This is thought to take place following initial hyperstimulation of pain fibres to later allow for the inhibition of excessive excitement of nerve cells by reducing the synthesis of the substance P.  It is also considered that shockwave can be used to re-establish or destroy nerve signals that were not transmitting correctly.
• ACCELERATE HEALING – by stimulating tendon cell metabolism to stimulate fibroblasts to lay down more normal collagen and matrix within the tendon, increasing positive biochemical growth factors, changing inflammation and or changing blood flow to initiate a tendon healing or repair process. Scar tissue and calcification in tendons, ligaments and muscles is broken down. 

Have your treatment delivered by our fully trained physiotherapists in our superbly equipped clinic.

How is the shockwave treatment given?

1. The therapist determines the location of the pain by searching for painful trigger points. These points can also be localised using the hand piece or ultrasound.
2. Gel is then applied to the treatment zone. This improves the contact between the skin and the hand piece to allow the shockwaves to penetrate the body properly.
3. The hand piece is placed on the pain zone and it then emits shockwaves. In general, this is painless but sometimes perceived as ‘unpleasant’.
4. In a number of cases, the therapist will use a different treatment head, the D-Actor. This combination of shockwaves and vibrations is also used for muscular disorders.

For certain conditions, it is estimated that a single shockwave session is more effective for chronic pain than 6 sessions of deep massage. 

Which conditions can be treated? 

• Shoulder pain, e.g. shoulder calcification & Tendonitis 
• Tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow 
• Inflammation of the patellar tendon (jumpers’ knee) 
• Shin pain/Tibial periostitis 
• Achilles tendon pain 
• Heel pain (heel spur, plantar fasciitis) 
• Chronic pain in the neck, shoulder or back 
• Tension headaches 
• Muscle tension caused by painful muscle knots (trigger points) 
• Pseudoarthrosis 
• Scar Tissue 
• Cellulitis 

Don’t let pain control your life! Radial shockwave therapy is an effective treatment method for the complaints listed above.

 

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