What is Shockwave Therapy?
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the body’s natural healing processes. It is also sometimes referred to as extracorporeal pulse activation technology. It is considered a type of regenerative therapy that can be used to relieve pain and promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, and many other soft tissues. Through the acoustic shockwaves, it mimics the forces experienced during trauma and promotes regrowth and healing of tissues. This includes various mechanical and chemical changes including:
- Increase of cell wall permeability
- Increase in microcirculation and neovascularization
- Release of substance P neurotransmitter (helps pain modulation)
- Strong vasodilation effects
- Enhanced collagen synthesis
- Release of nitric oxide (assists cell metabolism and circulation)
- Stimulation of growth factors
- Breaking up soft tissue calcifications
ESWT has undergone extensive clinical studies and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For most patients, it has virtually no side effects or risks.
If your particular injury has not responded to traditional treatments, ESWT may be a nonsurgical option to get you back to the activities you love with essentially no downtime from work or sports.
How Long Does Shockwave Therapy Take?
A single treatment usually takes about 10 minutes of the entire visit, and is usually delivered as a part of a multidimensional plan of care from your physical therapist instead of a standalone treatment. Depending on the injury, a patient may receive three to five treatments over a period of several weeks.
Shockwave Therapy for Chronic Pain
This treatment is especially effective for those with chronic pain resulting from a condition affecting the tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, joint capsules, and many more. Some of the most common conditions treated with ESWT include:
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Bursitis
- Frozen Shoulder
- Osteoarthritis
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Severe Muscle Strains
- Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow
- Calcific Tendonitis
- Heel Spurs
- Jumper’s knee
- Osteochondritis
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Retrocalcaneal bursitis
What Should I Expect for Treatment and Recovery?
Unlike other therapies that can take weeks to take effect, shockwave therapy provides fast results without the use of steroids for immediate pain relief. Results in some patients are felt as soon as the next day, with no risk of irritation, swelling, or bruising that often accompanies many other treatment therapies. Most patients report improved functionality and quality of life after the procedure, especially those affected by tendon issues.
The sensations felt from ESWT vary from person to person. Most patients describe it as a little uncomfortable but not really painful. The location of treatment also matters – body parts with less skin and muscle, such as over the hip bone, can be more sensitive than thicker areas such as the calves.
When you come in for ESWT, wear garments that allow access to the treatment area. We will position you so that we can get to the problem area and keep you comfortable, and then apply a water-based gel to your skin. We will move the handheld applicator over the area while it releases pressure waves, slowly increasing the pulses until we reach your therapeutic level.
We customize the treatment to each patient’s personal pain tolerance. We will start out at a low level and increase it until we reach a medium level of intensity that is strong but tolerable, at which point we’ll hold steady at the therapeutic range for about 2,000 pulses.
Most patients feel results right away and need only two or three treatments over 4-6 weeks to help promote healing. The beauty of ESWT is that if it is going to work, it likely will start working immediately after the first treatment or two, especially when combined with a full physical therapy plan of care. So, if you don’t start seeing results right away, we can investigate other potential causes of your symptoms and other types of treatment modalities.
It is not uncommon to feel a bit sore afterward and have some bruising at the treatment area, but you can go about your normal activities, including exercise, without any down time.
If you are an active individual who suffers from pain, you could experience a noticeable healing boost, improved blood flow, and decreased pain with therapy.
Shockwave Therapy in Fort Worth, Texas.
Shockwave Therapy is just one of the many innovative modalities and treatments for sports injuries and other painful conditions available here at ClearCut Rehab Physical Therapy in Fort Worth, TX. If you’d like to find out more about this service and how it’s best utilized within a full physical therapy plan of care, please give us a call today! One of our highly trained Doctors of Physical Therapy will be happy to discuss your case with you over the phone.
Your Next Steps…
Request An Appointment
Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
Recover & Enjoy Life Pain-Free!