What Is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave Therapy is a modality that is used to treat muscle and tendon injuries. It works by sending sound shock waves into the tissues to break up muscle knots, calcium deposits, scar tissue and tendon adhesions. The sound waves can also decrease pain by activating an analgesic reaction. The tissue can then heal faster or have a clean slate to initiate rehab of the are in the case of scar tissue and adhesions.tment.
What conditions typically benefit from Shockwave:
- Achilles Tendonopathies
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Rotator Cuff Tendinopathies
- Calcification in the Rotator Cuff
- Trigger Points
- Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow
- Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy (formerly thought to be hip bursitis)
What is a treatment like?
Treatment with the shockwave usually lasts between 5-10 minutes. The treatment needs to be performed on bare skin, so we usually ask patients to dress in loose clothing or a tank top (if on the shoulder). The practitioner will apply gel to the area to be treated and then begin. Shockwave treatment is quite loud, so be sure to inform the practitioner if you have sound sensitivities. The treatment can elicit a slight pain or prickly sensation depending on the sensitivity of the tissue involved. This is usually just during the treatment and goes away after. The skin on the surface often becomes red after the treatment due to the stimulation of blood flow which is a good thing for injury recovery. The redness usually goes away shortly after the treatment.
